Information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To allow a user to easily obtain printer setting information or manual information according to a country or region.SOLUTION: An information processing device of an embodiment includes a user terminal owned by a user and an information processing device communicable with the user terminal. The user terminal comprises a first acquisition unit which acquires medium identification information, recorded in a print medium or a package of the print medium, for identifying the print medium in an electromagnetic method or an optical method and a second acquisition unit which acquires printer type information indicative of a type of a printer and region information indicative of a printer use region from the printer. The information processing device provides the user terminal with printer setting information or printer manual information corresponding to the medium identification information, the printer type information, and the region information according to a request from the user terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program for a printer. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, various proposals have been made to facilitate the task of obtaining optimal printer settings for a print medium, such as roll paper, that is to be loaded into a printer. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a printing device (printer) in which an IC memory module that stores paper-related information is embedded in the core of a roll paper component, and the printing device accesses the IC memory module to obtain the paper-related information, for example, when the power is turned on, when the roll paper component is replaced, or when the power is turned off. In this printing device, the printing process is controlled by reflecting the information obtained from the IC memory module. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2002 / 053389 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, printers and print media such as roll paper can be used in various countries and regions, and because each country and region has different legal regulations, the optimal printer settings may differ from country to country or region. In other words, even if the same type of printer and the same roll paper are used, the optimal printer settings will differ depending on the country or region in which they are used. Therefore, it is possible to install a memory device in the printer and / or the roll paper and store multiple printer settings corresponding to each of the various countries and regions, but this is cumbersome and the amount of information that can be stored is limited by the storage capacity of the memory device. The same is true for printer manual information. Since printer manual information may differ in language or printer specifications in each country or region, the manual information required by printer users may differ from country or region to country or region.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to enable a user to easily obtain printer setting information or manual information appropriate for a country or region. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing system including a user terminal owned by a user and an information processing device capable of communicating with the user terminal, The user terminal, A first acquisition unit that acquires medium identification information that identifies the print medium, the medium identification information being information recorded on the print medium or the packaging of the print medium, by an electromagnetic method or an optical method; a second acquisition unit that acquires, from the printer, printer type information indicating a type of the printer and area information indicating an area in which the printer is used; The information processing device is an information processing system that provides the user terminal with printer setting information or printer manual information corresponding to the medium identification information, the printer type information, and the regional information in response to a request from the user terminal. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a user can easily obtain printer setting information or manual information according to the country or region. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a printer setting operation in a printer operation support system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating a printer setting operation in a printer operation support system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 illustrates an enlarged view of a portion of an exemplary printer. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a screen of an NFC application executed on a user terminal. [Diagram 5] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating an example of screen transition of an NFC application of a user terminal in the printer operation support system of an embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of each device of a printer operation support system according to an embodiment; [Figure 7] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating examples of data configurations of an inlay setting database and a printer setting database, respectively. [Figure 8] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating examples of data configurations of a manual database and a URL database, respectively. [Figure 9] 4 is a sequence chart showing an example of an operation of the printer operation support system according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] 4 is a sequence chart showing an example of an operation of the printer operation support system according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] 4 is a sequence chart showing an example of an operation of the printer operation support system according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The embodiments described below are not limited to the drawings which are illustrated by the brief description of the drawings.

[0010] A first aspect of the present invention is an information processing system including a user terminal carried by a user and an information processing device capable of communicating with the user terminal, The user terminal, A first acquisition unit that acquires medium identification information that identifies the print medium, the medium identification information being information recorded on the print medium or the packaging of the print medium, by an electromagnetic method or an optical method; a second acquisition unit that acquires, from the printer, printer type information indicating a type of the printer and area information indicating an area in which the printer is used; The information processing device is an information processing system that provides the user terminal with printer setting information or printer manual information corresponding to the medium identification information, the printer type information, and the regional information in response to a request from the user terminal.

[0011] In this disclosure, a "print medium" refers to a medium for printing information, such as a label or a document. The material of the print medium is not limited to paper and may be film. The print medium may be an RFID label. An RFID label is a label in which an inlay (an IC chip with an antenna, in which an IC chip and an antenna are arranged on a substrate such as a resin film, and may be written as "RFID inlay" or "RFID inlet") is incorporated into the label. When printing on an RFID label, information is written into the inlay in the RFID label by a reader / writer installed in the printer.

[0012] An example of a user terminal acquiring medium identification information by an optical method is when the user terminal optically reads a barcode or two-dimensional code to acquire information corresponding to the code. For example, a two-dimensional code is printed on a print medium or on the packaging of the print medium, or a label with a two-dimensional code printed on it is affixed, and the user terminal acquires the medium identification information by optically reading the two-dimensional code. In addition, in an electromagnetic method, the user terminal acquires the medium identification information from the print medium or the packaging of the print medium in a non-contact manner.

[0013] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a user can easily obtain printer setting information or manual information appropriate for a country or region through a user terminal.

[0014] In a second aspect of the present invention, the user terminal comprises: a communication unit capable of wireless communication with the printer; The printer according to the first aspect is further provided with a transmission control unit that controls the printer to transmit printer setting information to the printer when wireless communication with the printer becomes possible.

[0015] According to a second aspect of the present invention, printer setting information can be sent wirelessly to a printer.

[0016] In a third aspect of the present invention, the printer comprises: a wireless tag arranged so as to enable wireless communication with the user terminal when the user terminal is brought close to a predetermined position exposed on the outside of the printer; The printer according to the second aspect is provided with a setting unit which acquires the printer setting information from the wireless tag or, when acquired via the wireless tag, configures the printer based on the printer setting information.

[0017] According to a third aspect of the present invention, optimal printer settings can be made according to the region of use by a one-touch operation of bringing a user terminal close to a predetermined position of the printer.

[0018] A fourth aspect of the present invention is a printer described in any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the second acquisition unit of the user terminal acquires the printer type information and the regional information by an optical method from code information attached to the printer or code information displayed on a display unit of the printer.

[0019] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the printer type information and the area information can be easily obtained.

[0020] A fifth aspect of the present invention is a printer described in any one of the first to third aspects, wherein a second acquisition unit of the user terminal acquires the printer type information and the regional information by receiving them from the wireless tag or the printer body.

[0021] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the printer type information and the area information can be obtained more easily.

[0022] A sixth aspect of the present invention is a printer described in any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the printing medium or the packaging of the printing medium is provided with a product code for the printing medium in addition to the medium identification information.

[0023] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the effect that a user can easily obtain printer setting information or manual information according to a country or region through a user terminal can be more effectively achieved. In other words, a unique code by the supplier of the print medium is generally used as a product code attached to the print medium or the packaging of the print medium. Therefore, by applying medium identification information to the print medium or the packaging of the print medium in addition to the product code, all print media can be associated with the printer setting information or manual information through the medium identification information regardless of the supplier of the print medium.

[0024] In a seventh aspect of the present invention, the printer operates in a first communication mode in which the wireless tag performs wireless communication with the user terminal when the printer is powered off, and in a second communication mode in which the printer performs wireless communication with the user terminal via the wireless tag when the printer is powered on; In the first communication mode, the printer setting information received by the wireless tag is stored in the wireless tag; In the printer according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, in the second communication mode, the printer setting information received via the wireless tag is stored in a printer body.

[0025] According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, information from a user terminal can be appropriately processed depending on the power supply state of the printer.

[0026] An eighth aspect of the present invention is a printer described in the seventh aspect, wherein the setting unit configures the printer based on the printer setting information stored in the wireless tag when the printer is turned on from off.

[0027] According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, it becomes possible for the printer settings acquired from the user terminal to be reflected immediately after the printer is turned on.

[0028] In a ninth aspect of the present invention, when the information processing device provides manual information of the printer to the user terminal, the information processing device provides a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) as the manual information to the user terminal; The user terminal is the printer according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, and has a web browser that displays manual information of the printer based on the URL.

[0029] According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the obtained manual information can be viewed by the user.

[0030] A tenth aspect of the present invention is an information processing method between a user terminal carried by a user and an information processing device capable of communicating with the user terminal, comprising: The user terminal acquires medium identification information for identifying the print medium, the medium identification information being information recorded on the print medium or the packaging of the print medium, by an electromagnetic method or an optical method; The user terminal acquires printer type information indicating a type of the printer and area information indicating an area in which the printer is used from the printer; the user terminal requests printer setting information or manual information of the printer from an information processing device capable of communicating with the user terminal; The information processing method is such that, in response to a request from the user terminal, the information processing device provides the user terminal with the printer setting information or printer manual information corresponding to the medium identification information, the printer type information, and the regional information.

[0031] According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, a user can easily obtain printer setting information or manual information appropriate for a country or region through a user terminal.

[0032] An eleventh aspect of the present invention is a method for providing a computer, when installed in a user terminal owned by a user, the computer comprising: A step of acquiring medium identification information for identifying the print medium, the medium identification information being information recorded on the print medium or the packaging of the print medium, by an electromagnetic method or an optical method; A step of acquiring printer type information indicating a type of the printer and area information indicating an area in which the printer is used from the printer; and a procedure for requesting printer setting information or manual information of the printer from an information processing device capable of communicating with the user terminal.

[0033] According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, a user can easily obtain printer setting information or manual information appropriate for a country or region through a user terminal.

[0034] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, an NFC tag is given as an example of a wireless tag, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be a BLE tag that uses Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy or a UHF band RFID tag. In other words, the wireless communication protocol between the printer and the user terminal may be of any specification.

[0035] A printer operation support system, which is an example of an information processing system, will be described below. The printer operation support system is a system that supports printer-related operations. Examples of printer-related operations include setting the printer to its optimum settings (printer setting operation) and viewing the printer manual to replace consumables in the printer.

[0036] 1 and 2 are diagrams for explaining a printer setting operation in a printer operation support system according to an embodiment. In Fig. 1, label packages LP1 and LP2 package a roll of continuous labels including a plurality of labels (an example of a print medium) to be set in a printer 2 and printed and issued, or a long continuous label sheet (such as label fanfold paper). In one embodiment, printer 2 is an RFID printer capable of issuing RFID labels. An NFC tag 11 is attached to the label package LP1, and identification information unique to an inlay incorporated in a label inside the label package LP1 (hereinafter referred to as an "inlay ID") is recorded on the NFC tag 11. The inlay ID is an example of medium identification information. A sticker having a two-dimensional code 12 printed thereon is attached to the label package LP2, and the two-dimensional code 12 includes an inlay ID that is incorporated into a label within the label package LP2. A sticker with the NFC tag 11 attached or a sticker with the two-dimensional code 12 printed thereon may be used as a sealing sticker for label packaging. The NFC tag 11 may be attached to the paper core of a label roll since readability does not need to be considered. Furthermore, the sticker with the two-dimensional code 12 printed thereon may be placed in any position where the two-dimensional code 12 can be read since it is not interfered with by surrounding tags. The NFC tag 11 or the sticker with the two-dimensional code 12 printed thereon is preferably attached to label packaging, but is not limited thereto, and may be attached to a cardboard box or pallet packaging that includes multiple label packages.

[0037] The user terminal 3 is a communication terminal carried by a user, and may be a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a smart watch, or another wearable device. An NFC application for configuring printer settings and a web browser are installed in the user terminal 3. The NFC application is software programmed to perform wireless communication with the printer via NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0038] State ST1 in FIG. 1 is a procedure for acquiring an inlay ID. When the user terminal 3 is brought close to the NFC tag 11, the NFC application acquires the inlay ID received by the NFC reader / writer 38 built into the user terminal 3 through wireless communication with the NFC tag 11 (ST1-a). The NFC application may also capture an image of the two-dimensional code 12 using an imaging unit built into the user terminal 3, and obtain the inlay ID by reading the two-dimensional code 12 (ST1-b). Note that obtaining label data by wirelessly communicating with the NFC tag 11 is an example of the user terminal 3 obtaining medium identification information by an electromagnetic method, and obtaining an inlay ID by reading the two-dimensional code 12 is an example of the user terminal 3 obtaining medium identification information by an optical method.

[0039] Status ST2 in FIG. 2 is a procedure for acquiring the product code of the printer 2 (hereinafter referred to as the "printer product code"). The user touches the user terminal 3 to a predetermined position on the printer 2, causing the user terminal 3 to acquire the printer product code (ST2-a). In this case, the user terminal acquires the printer product code by electromagnetic means by receiving the printer product code from the NFC tag 28 (FIG. 3) or the printer itself. As will be described later, the NFC tag 28 is a tag built into the printer 2. The printer product code includes information about the printer name (or printer model) and region information of the corresponding printer 2. Region information is an example of regional information that indicates the region in which the printer 2 is used, and is information that identifies a country, a region within a specific country, or a region spanning multiple countries. The printer name is an example of printer type information that indicates the type of printer. The NFC application may also use an imaging unit built into the user terminal 3 to capture an image of a one-dimensional code (barcode) contained on the label 20L affixed to the rear surface 2B of the printer 2, and obtain the printer product code of the printer 2 by reading the one-dimensional code (ST2-b).

[0040] The method for acquiring the printer product code is not limited to the method shown in state ST2 of FIG. The user terminal 3 may obtain the printer product code by an optical method from the code information attached to the printer 2 or the code information displayed on the display unit 25 (FIG. 3) of the printer 2. In this case, the printer 2 is configured to display a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code corresponding to the printer product code on the display unit 25 in response to a predetermined operation by the user. Either method allows the user terminal 3 to easily obtain the printer product code.

[0041] Next, after the user performs a predetermined operation on the NFC application to obtain printer setting information from the server, when the user touches the user terminal 3 to a predetermined position on the printer 2 as shown in state ST3 in Fig. 2, the printer setting information is transmitted from the NFC application to the printer 2. The printer 2 performs printer settings based on the received printer setting information. In the following description, a "touch operation" is not limited to a case where the user terminal 3 is physically touched to a predetermined position on the printer 2, but also includes a case where the user terminal 3 is not physically touched to the printer 2, such as holding the user terminal 3 toward or close to a predetermined position on the printer 2. In the following description, touching the printer 2 with the user terminal 3 means touching the user terminal 3 to a predetermined position on the printer 2 in which the NFC tag 28 is embedded.

[0042] 3, an enlarged portion of the exterior of an exemplary printer 2 is shown. As shown in FIG. 3, the printer 2 has a display unit 25 and an operation input unit 26 on its front surface, and an NFC tag 28 is built in at a predetermined position. A mark indicating that the NFC tag 28 is built in is preferably provided at a predetermined position on the exterior surface of the printer 2 corresponding to the position where the NFC tag 28 is built in. By performing a touch operation on this predetermined position, an NFC application can communicate with the printer 2 via NFC.

[0043] Next, the function of the NFC application will be described with reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. Fig. 4 shows a screen displaying the main menu of the NFC application. Fig. 5 shows an example of screen transition in the user terminal 3 of the NFC application when operated by the user. 4, the main menu of the NFC application includes radio buttons for selecting either the NFC transmission mode in the OFF mode (an example of a first communication mode; "OFF mode NFC transmission") or the NFC transmission mode in the ON mode (an example of a second communication mode; "ON mode NFC transmission") depending on the power state of the printer 2. Screen G1 in FIG. 4 shows an example in which the OFF mode NFC transmission has been selected. The main menu of the NFC application also includes a button b1 ("Printer Settings") for performing printer setting operations on the printer 2, and a button b2 ("View Manual") for viewing the printer 2 manual.

[0044] When the button b1 is selected from the main menu, the screen G2 in FIG. 5 is displayed. When the user operates button b3 ("read inlay code") on screen G2, screen G3 is displayed. In this state, when the user brings the user terminal 3 close to the NFC tag 11 as shown in state ST1 in Fig. 1, the NFC application of the user terminal 3 performs NFC communication with the NFC tag 11, obtains the inlay ID from the NFC tag 11, and transitions to screen G4. Alternatively, the user may point the user terminal 3 at the two-dimensional code 12 on the screen G3. In this case, the NFC application captures the two-dimensional code 12 and reads the two-dimensional code. When the NFC application has completed reading the two-dimensional code 12, it obtains the inlay ID from the two-dimensional code 12 and transitions to screen G4.

[0045] Next, when the user operates button b4 ("Read printer code") on screen G4, screen G5 is displayed. In this state, when the user brings the user terminal 3 close to the NFC tag 28 (see FIG. 3) of the printer 2 as shown in state ST2 in FIG. 2, the NFC application of the user terminal 3 performs NFC communication with the NFC tag 28, acquires the printer product code from the NFC tag 28, and transitions to screen G6. Alternatively, on screen G5, the user may point the user terminal 3 toward the label 20L on the rear part 2B of the printer 2. In this case, the NFC application captures an image of the one-dimensional code included on the label 20L and reads the one-dimensional code. When reading of the one-dimensional code is completed, the NFC application obtains the printer product code from the one-dimensional code and transitions to screen G6.

[0046] Screen G6 includes a button b5 ("Yes") for making a request to obtain printer setting information from server 5, which will be described later, and a button b6 ("Return to code reading") for returning to screen G2 or G4 and reading the code again. When button b5 is selected, the NFC application obtains optimal printer setting information for the user terminal 3 from the server 5 and transitions to screen G7. When the user touches the printer 2 with the user terminal 3 on screen G7 as shown in state ST3 in FIG. 2, the printer setting information obtained from the server 5 is sent to the NFC tag 28 of the printer 2.

[0047] When button b2 ("View Manual") is selected from the main menu, only the printer product code needs to be obtained, so the procedure shown on screens G4 and G5 in Fig. 5 should be executed. When button b2 ("View Manual") is selected, a screen that allows the user to select the type of manual to be obtained is displayed after screens G4 and G5. In response to this selection, the NFC application obtains the URL of the manual type selected by the user from the server and displays it.

[0048] When ON mode NFC transmission is selected on screen G1, the screen transition is the same as in the case of OFF mode NFC transmission. Note that since the communication between the user terminal 3 and the printer 2 is not limited to NFC communication, the NFC application may be provided with a button for selecting another communication method, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Also, in the screen transition in FIG. 5, an example is shown in which the inlay ID and printer product code are obtained in this order, but this is not limiting and the order may be reversed.

[0049] Next, the configuration of each device in the printer work support system 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a block diagram including the hardware configuration of the printer 2, the user terminal 3, and the server 5 in the printer work support system 1 of this embodiment. 6, in the printer operation support system 1, the user terminal 3 and the server 5 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a network NW. The network NW is not limited to, but may be, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), etc.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 6, the printer 2 includes a control unit 21, a storage 22, a transport unit 23, a printing unit 24, a display unit 25, an operation input unit 26, a communication unit 27, an NFC tag 28, and a reader / writer 29.

[0051] The control unit 21 includes a CPU 211, a ROM 212, and a RAM 213, and controls the entire printer 2. For example, the CPU 211 realizes various functions by loading and executing firmware recorded in the ROM 212. The RAM 213 functions as a main memory when the CPU 211 performs various processes.

[0052] The control unit 21 executes various processes based on data received from the NFC application of the user terminal 3 . When the data sent from the NFC application includes a label issuance command together with the image data, the control unit 21 controls the transport unit 23 and the printing unit 24 to print a label. When printing a label, the control unit 21 sequentially sends line data, which is data for each line of the image data acquired from the user terminal 3 via the NFC tag 28, to the printing unit 24. When the data sent from the NFC application includes a printer setting command together with the printer setting information, the control unit 21 performs settings for the printer 2 based on the printer setting command. In other words, when the control unit 21 acquires the printer setting information from the NFC tag 28 or via the NFC tag 28, the control unit 21 functions as a setting unit that performs settings for the printer 2 based on the acquired printer setting information.

[0053] The storage 22 is a non-volatile memory, such as a solid state drive (SSD) such as a flash memory. The storage 22 stores, for example, a format file for creating image data based on print data received from a host computer (not shown).

[0054] The transport unit 23 includes a platen roller, a motor drive circuit, and a stepping motor, and transports the continuous paper inside the printer 2. For example, based on a transport request from the control unit 21, the transport unit 23 transports the continuous paper by the motor drive circuit driving the stepping motor that controls the rotation of the platen roller. The printing unit 24 includes a thermal head and a head drive circuit. The head drive circuit selectively supplies current to a plurality of heating elements of the thermal head based on line data sequentially sent by the control unit 21, thereby performing printing.

[0055] The display unit 25 includes a display panel such as an LCD and a display drive circuit, and displays the results of the execution of the program by the firmware. For example, a roll of continuous paper is stored in the printer 2. The continuous paper includes a backing paper and a plurality of labels temporarily attached to the backing paper. The operation input unit 26 includes an input device such as a button or a touch input device mounted on the display panel of the display unit 25, and accepts operation inputs from the user. The communication unit 27 is a communication interface for receiving print data for printing labels by communicating with, for example, a host computer (not shown).

[0056] The NFC tag 28 is a tag for performing short-range wireless communication via NFC with the user terminal 3, and is positioned so that wireless communication with the user terminal 3 is possible when the user terminal 3 is touched to the printer 2, as shown in FIG. 3. When the power of the printer 2 is OFF, the NFC tag 28 receives NDEF (NFC Data Exchange Format) data from the user terminal 3. NDEF data is lightweight binary format data for data exchange using NFC. When the power of the printer 2 is OFF, the data sent when the user terminal 3 touches the printer 2 is in NDEF format. The NFC tag 28 includes a ROM 281. The ROM 281 is a non-volatile memory for temporarily storing data that the NFC tag 28 receives from the user terminal 3. Data that the NFC tag 28 receives while the printer 2 is powered off is stored in the ROM 281.

[0057] The reader / writer 29 is an RFID module that, when printing on an RFID label set in the printer 2, reads data from an inlay incorporated in the RFID label and writes the data to the inlay. In the reader / writer 29, for example, the read output (electromagnetic wave level) when reading data from an inlay and the write output (electromagnetic wave level) when writing data to an inlay can be adjusted by the control unit 21. Adjusting the read output and / or write output by the control unit 21 is an example of a printer setting process. Furthermore, the setting of an optimal position for the inlay of the RFID label being transported inside the printer 2 to communicate with the reader / writer 29 can be adjusted by the control unit 21. Setting this optimal position by the control unit 21 is an example of a printer setting process.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 6, the user terminal 3 includes a control unit 31, a storage 32, an operation input unit 33, a display unit , an imaging unit 35, a code reader , a communication unit 37, and an NFC reader / writer . The control unit 31 is mainly configured with a CPU, and controls the entire user terminal 3. For example, the CPU included in the control unit 31 loads from a ROM an NFC application or a web browser program recorded in the storage 32, executes the program, and displays the execution result on the display unit 34. The storage 32 is a non-volatile memory, such as an SSD, a flash memory, etc. The storage 32 stores data acquired by executing the NFC application (such as an inlay ID, a printer product code, and printer setting information).

[0059] By executing the NFC application, the control unit 31 realizes the functions of a first acquisition unit, a second acquisition unit, and a transmission control unit described below. The first acquisition unit acquires the inlay ID recorded on the label or label packaging by an electromagnetic method or an optical method. The second acquisition unit acquires a printer product code including a printer name and region information from the printer 2. In one embodiment, the second acquisition unit acquires the printer product code by an optical method from a two-dimensional code attached to the rear part 2B of the printer 2 or a two-dimensional code displayed on the display unit 25 of the printer. In one embodiment, the second acquisition unit acquires the printer product code by receiving it from the NFC tag 28 or the printer body. When wireless communication with the printer 2 via NFC becomes possible, the transmission control unit controls so as to transmit the printer setting information of the printer 2 acquired from the server 5 to the printer 2. Note that in order to enable viewing of the manual on the printer 2, the transmission control unit may also control so as to transmit the manual information of the printer 2 acquired from the server 5 to the printer 2. In one embodiment, the control unit 31 displays manual information for the printer 2 on the display unit 34 based on a URL acquired from the server 5.

[0060] The operation input unit 33 is, for example, a touch panel type input device provided on a display panel of the user terminal 3. The operation input unit 33 notifies the NFC application of an operation input to the display panel. The display unit 34 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL panel, and displays the execution result of the NFC application. The display unit 34 also displays the digital image signal generated by the imaging unit 35. The imaging unit 35 has, for example, an optical lens and an imaging element (image sensor) that converts incident light from the optical lens into an electrical signal, and sequentially generates digital images and outputs them to the display unit 34. The code reader 36 analyzes the code information (e.g., the two-dimensional code 12 shown in FIG. 1 and the one-dimensional code included in the label 20L in FIG. 2) contained in the image signal generated by the imaging unit 35, and extracts (acquires) data from the code information.

[0061] The communication unit 37 is a communication interface for communicating with an external device. The NFC reader / writer 38 (an example of a communication unit) is a communication interface for performing short-distance wireless communication by NFC. For example, when the NFC reader / writer 38 is brought into close proximity to an NFC tag attached to a label package or the like, or when a touch operation of the user terminal 3 is performed on the printer 2, the NFC reader / writer 38 performs communication by NFC under the control of an NFC application.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 6, the server 5 includes a control unit 51, a storage 52, and a communication unit 53. The control unit 51 is mainly configured with a CPU, and controls the entire server 5. For example, the CPU included in the control unit 51 loads a server program recorded in the storage 52 and executes it. The storage 52 is a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), and stores the server program, as well as an inlay setting database, a printer setting database, a manual database, and a URL database. Each database is accessed by the control unit 51 as appropriate when the server program is executed. The communication unit 53 is a communication interface for communicating with the user terminal 3 .

[0063] FIG. 7 shows an example of the data configuration of the inlay setting database stored in the storage 52. As shown in FIG. 7 includes values ​​for region information, printer product code, printer name, and inlay setting ID in association with an inlay ID. In the inlay setting database, when the region information is different even for the same inlay ID and the same printer name, a different inlay setting ID is associated with it. FIG. 7 shows an example of the data configuration of the printer setting database stored in the storage 52. As shown in FIG. Each record of the printer setting database illustrated in FIG. 7 includes values ​​for region information and printer setting information in association with an inlay setting ID. The printer setting information is information for performing optimal printer settings for encoding an inlay incorporated in a label for each printer model. For example, the printer setting information includes, but is not limited to, information on the optimal electromagnetic wave level (write radio wave output, read radio wave output) of a reader / writer that is optimal for encoding a corresponding inlay, and the optimal position for an inlay to communicate with a reader / writer (antenna position, tag offset, etc.). Here, examples of region information include US (United States) and EU (European Union). For example, the same frequency band is used in Japan and the United States, while a different frequency band is used in Europe, and the radio wave law differs from country to country, and therefore the radio wave output may differ from country to country. Therefore, the printer setting information is associated with each region information individually. By referring to the inlay setting database and the printer setting database, it is possible to identify printer setting information corresponding to the printer name and the region of use, which corresponds to the inlay ID.

[0064] FIG. 8 shows an example of the data structure of the manual database stored in the storage 52. As shown in FIG. Each record in the manual database illustrated in Fig. 8 is associated with a printer product code, a printer name, and a manual ID. The manual ID is identification information for identifying a specific type of manual information related to a printer. In the manual database, even if the printer name is the same, if the region information included in the printer product code is different, different manual IDs are associated with the same printer name. FIG. 8 shows an example of the data configuration of the URL database stored in the storage 52. As shown in FIG. Each record in the URL database illustrated in Fig. 8 includes the values ​​of region information, manual type, and URL (Uniform Resource Locator) in association with a manual ID. The manual type may be, but is not limited to, an instruction manual or a programming reference, and may include an adjustment guide or an inlay configuration guide. The URL (an example of manual information) indicates the location of a web page of the manual written in a language corresponding to the region information. By referring to the manual database and the URL database, it is possible to identify the URL of a specific type of manual for each printer name according to the region where the printer is used.

[0065] Next, the operation of the printer operation support system 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0066] [User device retrieves data from the server] FIG. 9 is a sequence chart showing the operation when the user terminal 3 acquires the printer setting information or manual information (URL) from the server 5. In FIG. For example, when the user brings the user terminal 3 close to the NFC tag 11 (FIG. 1) on screen G2 in Fig. 5 (ST1-a in Fig. 1), the NFC reader / writer 38 acquires the inlay ID from the NFC tag 11 (step S2a). Alternatively, when the user operates the button b3 on screen G2 to transition to screen G3 and captures an image of the two-dimensional code 12 (FIG. 1) (ST1-b in Fig. 1), the code reader 36 reads the two-dimensional code 12 and acquires the inlay ID (step S2b). Next, when the user brings the user terminal 3 close to the NFC tag 28 (FIG. 3) on screen G4 in FIG. 5 (ST2-a in FIG. 2), the NFC reader / writer 38 acquires the printer product code from the NFC tag 28 (step S4a). Alternatively, when the user operates button b4 on screen G4 to transition to screen G5 and captures an image of the one-dimensional code on the label 20L on the rear part 2B of the printer 2 (ST2-b in FIG. 2), the code reader 36 reads the one-dimensional code and acquires the printer product code (step S4b).

[0067] After acquiring the inlay ID and printer product code, the user terminal 3 requests printer setting information or manual information (URL) from the server 5 (step S6). This request includes the inlay ID and printer product code. The information requested differs depending on the result of the user's selection of button b1 or b2 on screen G1 in FIG. 4. In one embodiment, the request is made in response to a user operation, as shown on screen G6 in FIG. 5.

[0068] In response to this request, the server 5 refers to the database to obtain printer setting information or manual information (URL). If printer setting information is requested, the server 5 refers to the inlay setting database and the printer setting database to identify the printer setting information that corresponds to the inlay ID and printer product code included in the request. The identified printer setting information is the optimal printer setting information that corresponds to the printer name and region information. When manual information (URL) is requested, the server 5 refers to the manual database and URL database to identify the URL corresponding to the inlay ID and printer product code included in the request. The identified URL is the optimal URL corresponding to the printer name and region information.

[0069] The server 5 returns a response including the acquired printer setting information or manual information (URL) (data) to the user terminal 3 (step S10). When the NFC application of the user terminal 3 acquires the data, it displays a screen (for example, screen G7 in FIG. 5) indicating that the data has been acquired (step S12). Although not shown, when the manual information (URL) is acquired in step S10, the web browser of the user terminal 3 acquires and displays an HTML document from the URL in response to a user operation or without a user operation.

[0070] [Sending data from a user terminal to a printer when the printer power is off] Fig. 10 is a sequence chart showing the operation of the printer operation support system 1 when a touch operation is performed on the printer 2 after the user terminal 3 acquires the printer setting information from the server 5. In Fig. 10, it is assumed that the power of the printer 2 is OFF. 2, when the user performs a touch operation on the printer 2 after acquiring the printer setting information from the server 5, the NFC application converts the data to be transmitted (i.e., the printer setting information) into NDEF data. Next, the NFC application controls the NFC reader / writer 38 so that the printer setting information corresponding to the NDEF data is written to the ROM 281 of the NFC tag 28 via the NFC reader / writer 38 (steps S20 and S22).

[0071] Thereafter, when the power of the printer 2 is turned ON (step S24), the printer 2 reads the printer setting information stored in the ROM 281 of the NFC tag 28 during startup processing (step S26) and saves it in the RAM 213 (step S28). Next, the printer 2 executes a printer setting process based on the printer setting information saved in the RAM 213 (step S30). Therefore, the user does not need to start up the printer 2 when configuring the printer 2; if the user performs a touch operation with the printer 2 powered off, the printer configuration process will be performed the next time the printer is started up.

[0072] [Sending data from the user terminal to the printer when the printer power is ON] Fig. 11 is a sequence chart showing the operation of the printer operation support system 1 when a touch operation is performed on the printer 2 after the user terminal 3 acquires the printer setting information from the server 5. Unlike Fig. 10, Fig. 11 assumes that the power of the printer 2 is ON.

[0073] Figure 11 differs from Figure 10 (when printer 2 is powered off) in that the data format of the data sent from the NFC application to printer 2 after a touch operation is not NDEF format, but rather the data is sent to printer 2 in packets of a predetermined number of bytes. 11, when the user terminal 3 is touched to the printer 2, the data to be transmitted is compressed and then divided into a plurality of packets of a predetermined number of bytes (for example, 64 bytes) and transmitted (step S40). Each packet is directly received by the control unit 21 of the printer 2 via the NFC tag 28. One of the packets (for example, the last packet) transmitted in step S40 contains a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) code.

[0074] When the printer 2 receives the data, it decompresses the received data (step S42) and then performs a CRC check (step S44). The printer 2 returns the result of the CRC check to the NFC application (step S46), so that the NFC application knows whether the printer 2 has received the data correctly. If the check result is OK, the printer 2 stores the received data in the RAM 213 (step S48). Next, the printer 2 executes a printer setting process based on the printer setting information included in the data stored in the RAM 213 (step S50).

[0075] As described above, in the printer operation support system 1, the NFC application installed in the user terminal 3 acquires an inlay ID from a label or label packaging by electromagnetic or optical means. The NFC application also acquires a printer product code including the printer name and region information from the printer 2 or the exterior surface of the printer 2 by electromagnetic or optical means. Based on the acquired inlay ID and printer product code, the NFC application requests and acquires optimal printer setting information or manual information for the printer 2 from the server 5. Therefore, the user can easily obtain printer setting information or manual information appropriate for the country or region through the user terminal 3.

[0076] In this system, a code corresponding to the inlay ID may be attached to the label or label packaging, or information corresponding to the inlay ID may be stored in the tag. The memory capacity of the NFC tag is relatively small, but is sufficient to store only the inlay ID. Therefore, it is not necessary to attach a memory with a large memory capacity to the label or label packaging. This is extremely effective when labels of the same specifications are used in various countries or regions. In other words, the same inlay ID may be associated with labels of the same specifications and shipped to various countries or regions, and local users who obtain the labels can obtain optimal printer setting information or manual information for the local area from the server based on the inlay ID associated with the label and the printer product code obtained from the printer in the local area. Therefore, it is not necessary to associate different information with the label in advance depending on the shipping destination (for example, it is not necessary to attach many two-dimensional codes to the label).

[0077] In this printer operation support system 1, the user can remotely configure the printer 2 based on the acquired printer setting information. In this printer configuration, the user only needs to touch the printer 2 with the user terminal 3, so the user can easily and reliably configure the printer settings optimal for the labels to be set in the printer 2.

[0078] When operating the above system, even if a product code is attached to the label or label packaging, it is preferable to attach a code corresponding to the inlay ID. This makes it possible to more effectively achieve the effect of allowing a user to easily obtain printer setting information or manual information according to the country or region through a user terminal. In other words, a product code unique to the label supplier is generally used as the product code attached to the label or label packaging. Therefore, by applying an inlay ID to the label or label packaging in addition to the product code, all labels can be associated with the printer setting information or manual information through the inlay ID, regardless of the label supplier.

[0079] In the above description, it is assumed that the label is an RFID label and the printer is an RFID printer capable of issuing RFID labels, but this is not limited to the above. In one embodiment, the label is a normal label that does not include an inlay, and the printer issues a normal label that does not include an inlay. In this case, a two-dimensional code corresponding to the label data or an NFC tag that stores the label data is attached to the label or label package instead of the inlay ID. The label data includes at least one of the product code number, lot number, serial number, and label type name corresponding to the target label. Instead of the inlay setting database and the printer setting database, the server stores a database that allows printer setting information to be specified based on label data and the printer product code. The printer setting information is information for optimal printer settings for label print quality for each printer model, such as print speed and print density. Here, because temperature and humidity differ depending on the country or region, the optimal print speed and print density are set differently depending on the region information. When the printer acquires printer setting information from the user terminal 3 in response to a touch operation by the user, for example, the printer adjusts the print speed and / or print density within a predetermined range.

[0080] Although the embodiments of the information processing system, the information processing method, and the program of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Furthermore, the above embodiments can be improved or modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the individual technical features described in each of the above embodiments and each modified example can be appropriately combined with part or all of other embodiments and modified examples as long as there is no technical contradiction.

[0081] Each database stored in the storage 52 of the server 5 is preferably configured to be editable by, for example, an information processing terminal (for example, a computer terminal, a tablet terminal, etc.) capable of communicating with the server 5. In one embodiment, each database is configured to be editable by the user terminal 3 accessing the server 5. This allows optimal printer setting information or manual information according to the region in which the printer 2 is used to be flexibly edited from the location where the printer 2 is used.

[0082] In one embodiment, if the printer can communicate with the server via a network, the printer may request printer setting information from the server based on its own printer product code and the inlay ID of the label set in the printer. In this case, an NFC tag that stores the inlay ID is attached to the label itself, and the printer acquires the inlay ID from the label in advance by NFC communication. Then, when the printer acquires the printer setting information from the server, it performs printer setting processing based on the acquired printer setting information.

[0083] In the above embodiment, the case where an NFC application is installed in the user terminal has been described, but this is not limited thereto. If the communication standard used when the user terminal 3 communicates with the tag is different from NFC, an application corresponding to the communication standard is installed. For example, if the tag attached to the label roll or label packaging is a BLE tag and the printer has a built-in BLE tag, a BLE application capable of communicating with each BLE tag is installed in the user terminal. Instead of the NFC tag, a UHF band RFID tag can also be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1. Printer operation support system 2. Printer 2B…Back part 20L…Label 21...Control unit 211...CPU 212...ROM 213...RAM 22…Storage 23...Transportation section 24…Printing section 25…Display section 26...Operation input section 27…Communications Department 28…NFC tag 281...ROM 29...Reader / writer 3. User terminal 31...Control unit 32…Storage 33...Operation input section 34…Display section 35…Imaging unit 36...Code reader 37…Communications Department 38...NFC reader / writer 5. Server 51...Control unit 52…Storage 53…Communications Department 11. NFC tag 12...2D code NW…Network LP1, LP2...Label packaging

Claims

1. An information processing system including a user terminal owned by a user and an information processing device capable of communicating with the user terminal, The user terminal a first acquisition unit that acquires medium identification information that identifies the print medium, the medium identification information being information recorded on the print medium or a package of the print medium, by an electromagnetic method or an optical method; a second acquisition unit that acquires, from the printer, printer type information that indicates the type of the printer and area information that indicates the area in which the printer is used; the information processing device provides the user terminal with setting information or manual information for the printer corresponding to the medium identification information, the printer type information, and the area information in response to a request from the user terminal; Information processing system.

2. The user terminal a communication unit capable of wireless communication with the printer; a transmission control unit that controls the printer so that printer setting information or printer manual information of the printer is transmitted to the printer when wireless communication with the printer becomes possible, 2. An information processing system according to claim 1.

3. The printer a wireless tag arranged so as to enable wireless communication with the user terminal when the user terminal is brought close to a predetermined position exposed outside the printer; a setting unit that acquires the printer setting information from the wireless tag or, when acquired via the wireless tag, configures the printer based on the printer setting information; 3. An information processing system according to claim 2.

4. a second acquisition unit of the user terminal acquires the printer type information and the area information by an optical method from code information attached to the printer or code information displayed on a display unit of the printer; 4. An information processing system according to claim 1.

5. a second acquisition unit of the user terminal acquires the printer type information and the area information by receiving the information from the wireless tag or the printer body; 4. An information processing system according to claim 3.

6. The print medium or the packaging of the print medium is provided with a product code of the print medium in addition to the medium identification information.

4. An information processing system according to claim 1.

7. the printer operates in a first communication mode in which the wireless tag performs wireless communication with the user terminal when the printer is powered off, and in a second communication mode in which the printer performs wireless communication with the user terminal via the wireless tag when the printer is powered on; In the first communication mode, the printer setting information received by the wireless tag is stored in the wireless tag; In the second communication mode, the printer setting information received via the wireless tag is stored in the printer body.

4. An information processing system according to claim 3.

8. the setting unit sets the printer based on the printer setting information stored in the wireless tag when the printer is turned on from an off state.

8. An information processing system according to claim 7.

9. When providing manual information of the printer to the user terminal, the information processing device provides a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) as the manual information to the user terminal; the user terminal has a web browser that displays manual information for the printer based on the URL; 4. An information processing system according to claim 1.

10. An information processing method between a user terminal owned by a user and an information processing device capable of communicating with the user terminal, The user terminal acquires medium identification information that identifies the print medium, the medium identification information being information recorded on the print medium or the packaging of the print medium, by an electromagnetic method or an optical method; The user terminal acquires printer type information indicating the type of the printer and area information indicating the area in which the printer is used from the printer; the user terminal requests printer setting information or manual information of the printer from an information processing device that can communicate with the user terminal; the information processing device provides the user terminal with the printer setting information or the printer manual information corresponding to the medium identification information, the printer type information, and the area information in response to a request from the user terminal; Information processing methods.

11. When installed on a user's device, a step of acquiring, by an electromagnetic method or an optical method, medium identification information that identifies the print medium, which is information recorded on the print medium or the packaging of the print medium; a step of acquiring printer type information indicating the type of printer and area information indicating the area in which the printer is used from the printer; a step of requesting printer setting information or manual information of the printer from an information processing device that can communicate with the user terminal; A program that executes the following.

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