Program, information processing device, and label data sharing system

Abstract

To provide a label sharing system, a program, and an information processing device that facilitate the use of label data including paid content or paid function settings.SOLUTION: In a label sharing system 100, a label management server 3 connectable to a terminal 1 stores a plurality of pieces of label data, and stores, for each user ID, purchase information indicating whether paid content and function settings have been purchased. The terminal 1 is configured to: execute a client application 41 to acquire, while logged in to the label management server 3, purchase information corresponding to a user ID of a log-in user from the label management server 3; determine, on the basis of the acquired purchase information, whether a selected label data includes paid content or function settings not purchased; and if paid content or function settings not purchased is included, issue a notification that the selected label data includes the paid content or function settings not purchased.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a program, an information processing device, and a label data sharing system used in a system that utilizes label data. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a system for utilizing content data is known in which a server for storing content data is provided on the Internet, content data is posted from a user's device, i.e., uploaded to the server, and the content data is then downloaded to another user's device.

[0003] An example of a document disclosing the above-mentioned system is Patent Document 1. In the point management system disclosed in Patent Document 1, when photo data is uploaded from User A's PC to a WWW server and purchased by User B's PC and downloaded from the WWW server, points are added to User B, the purchaser, according to the purchase amount, and further points are added to User A, the contributor, according to the data size of the photo data when the photo data is uploaded or downloaded. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-99746 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In recent years, systems that utilize label data used to print labels with a label printer have been considered. Label data can be configured by combining various contents and functions, some of which require payment. Label data can also include settings related to the paid contents and functions.

[0006] In order for a user who has downloaded label data that includes settings for paid content or paid functions to use the data, the user must have purchased the paid content or paid functions. However, it is difficult for the user who has downloaded the data, i.e., the user who uses the label data, to know that there is content or functions that have not been purchased. Patent Document 1 does not include any description of paid content or functions, so there is room for improvement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The program that has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems is a program that can be executed by a computer of an information processing device that can be connected to a server, the server being capable of storing a plurality of label data, the label data being data that can be printed by a label printer, the label data being capable of including settings of paid content or paid functions, the server being further capable of accessing a purchase information database, the purchase information database storing purchase information indicating whether or not paid content and functions have been purchased for each user ID, the computer being provided with a login process that requests a login to the server in association with the user ID, and a program that, while logged in to the server, downloads at least one of the label data stored in the server from the server and stores it in a memory of the information processing device. and a download process for storing the purchased information in a storage medium, and the computer can be further configured to execute an acquisition process for acquiring the purchase information corresponding to a user ID of a logged-in user via the server while logged in to the server, a selection process for selecting the label data to be used, and a determination process for determining whether or not the label data selected in the selection process includes settings for paid content or functions that have not been purchased, based on the purchase information acquired in the acquisition process. When it is determined in the determination process that the label data includes settings for content or functions that have not been purchased, the computer is further configured to execute a notification process for notifying a user interface of the information processing device that the label data selected in the selection process includes content or functions that have not been purchased.

[0008] When a paid content or function included in selected label data has not been purchased, an information processing device having the program configured as described above executes the program to notify the user that the selected label data includes unpurchased content or function. This makes it easier for a logged-in user who uses the program to notice that the unpurchased content or function exists. As a result, the purchase of the unpurchased content or function is encouraged.

[0009] An information processing device for implementing the functions of the above-mentioned program, a label data sharing system, a control method, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the program are also novel and useful. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, a technology is realized that makes it easy to use label data that includes paid content or settings for paid functions in a system that utilizes label data. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a label data sharing system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the structure of a user database and a label database. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for content purchasing processing. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen transition. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure of a purchase information acquisition process. [Figure 6] 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating another example of the procedure of the purchase information acquisition process. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for a label posting process. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating a procedure of a download process. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen transition. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating a procedure for label data use processing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an information processing device used in a label data sharing system according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This specification discloses an information processing device that downloads and uses posted label data.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, a label data sharing system 100 (hereinafter abbreviated as "system 100") of this embodiment is a system provided to a user by, for example, a label printer vendor. The system 100 comprises a terminal 1 and a label management server 3, which are connected via an Internet line 4. The terminal 1 is a terminal owned by the owner or user of the label printer (hereinafter referred to as "user"). The terminal 1 can be connected to a label printer 2. The label management server 3 is an example of a "server". The Internet line 4 is an example of a "network". Note that only one terminal 1 is shown in FIG. 1, but in reality, many terminals 1 are connected to the label management server 3.

[0014] The label printer 2 is, for example, a printing device equipped with a thermal transfer print head, which prints on a rolled up tape while unwinding it. The label printer 2 prints an image on the stored tape and transports the tape based on a print job received from the terminal 1, for example, and causes the printed portion to protrude outside the machine. A label having a predetermined label length and label width is created by the tape protruded outside the machine. The label length is the length in the direction in which the label is discharged from the label printer 2. The label width is the length in the direction perpendicular to the label length. The label printer 2 can be used with multiple types of tape, depending on the model.

[0015] The label printer 2 is connected to the terminal 1 by wireless LAN communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The label printer 2 and terminal 1 may also be connected by cable using the USB communication standard.

[0016] The label management server 3 is a device having at least a storage function and a communication function. The label management server 3 can execute various functions by executing a server program 31. The label management server 3 has a web server function that provides a web page in response to a request from the terminal 1. The label management server 3 has a function to accept the posting of label data and to transmit the posted label data to the terminal 1. The label management server 3 has a function to manage the purchase of paid content or functions for each user ID. Each function will be described later.

[0017] The label management server 3 is connected to, for example, a user database (hereinafter referred to as "user DB") 6, a label database (hereinafter referred to as "label DB") 7, and a content database (hereinafter referred to as "content DB") 8 so as to be accessible to them. The user DB 6 is an example of a "purchase information database". The label management server 3 may be connected to each of the DBs 6, 7, and 8 via a wire 35 or wirelessly. Each of the DBs 6, 7, and 8 may be in the label management server 3 or in a server separate from the label management server 3. The user DB 6 and the label DB 7 may be integrated into a single database. The user DB 6, the label DB 7, and the content DB 8 may be inside the label management server 3 or outside it.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2(A), the user DB 6 can register a record for each user who uses the terminal 1, the record being made up of a user ID 61, a user name 62, a password 63, and purchase information 64.

[0019] The user ID 61 is identification information for identifying a user who can use the system 100, and specifies the user who uses the terminal 1. The user name 62 is, for example, the name or nickname of an individual or group (corporation) of a user who uses the label data sharing system 100 of this embodiment. The password 63 is a password set by each user stored in the user name 62.

[0020] The purchase information 64 is information indicating paid content and functions purchased by each user stored in the user name 62. Paid content includes, for example, special fonts, pictograms, character images, decorative images, and special frames. Paid functions include, for example, character color inversion, left-right inversion function, repeated printing function, and database printing function. Content or functions are assigned a content ID for identifying them. The purchase information 64 stores the paid content ID of the paid content or function purchased by the user corresponding to the user ID. In addition, personal information such as an email address, address, and telephone number may be registered in the user DB 6 for each user.

[0021] The label DB 7 stores multiple pieces of label data that can be printed by a label printer. The label data may be label data uploaded, i.e., posted, from the terminal 1 to the label management server 3 by a user who uses the label data sharing system 100 of this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "posted label data"), or it may be label data registered in the label management server 3 by the vendor (manufacturer) of the label printer 2. As shown in Fig. 2(B), the label DB 7 can register records for each piece of label data, each record consisting of a label ID 71, a user ID (creator) 72, label data 73, a paid content list 74, supplementary information 75, and a posting date 76. The user ID (creator) 72 may be a user name (creator).

[0022] In the system 100 of this embodiment, the label ID 71 is a serial number sequentially assigned to each piece of label data registered in the label management server 3. The user ID (creator) 72 is the user ID 61 of the user who posted the data using the system 100. The user ID (creator) 72 for label data created by someone other than the user may store the ID of the administrator, the ID of the vendor who created the data, or be left blank.

[0023] The label data 73 is label data stored in the label management server 3. The label data 73 stores the type, function, and arrangement of objects included in the label shown in the label data 73, and further stores information on specific content when that content is used. The content or function used in the label data 73 may be either paid or free. The label data may also include tape information such as the tape model number, and may also include printer information.

[0024] The paid content list 74 is a list created by the label management server 3. The paid content list 74 stores paid content IDs of paid contents or functions stored in the label data 73. The supplemental information 75 stores information supplemented when the label data 73 is posted to the label management server 3. The posting date 76 is information indicating the date and time when the label data was registered in the label DB 7.

[0025] The content DB 8 stores the settable contents or functions for each type of object. For example, the content DB 8 stores a paid content ID and paid content information indicating the type of paid content or function. The paid content information may include information indicating the configuration of the content. The content DB 8 may also store free content or functions.

[0026] 1, the terminal 1 is an information processing device having a communication function, a storage function, a display function, and an operation function. The terminal 1 in this embodiment is configured by a smartphone, but may also be configured by a tablet or a personal computer.

[0027] The terminal 1 has a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12, to which a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 13 and a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 14 are electrically connected. The terminal 1 is an example of an "information processing device." The CPU 11 is an example of a "computer." The controller 10 may be an example of a "computer." Note that the controller 10 in FIG. 1 is a collective term for hardware and software used to control the terminal 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware actually present in the terminal 1.

[0028] The CPU 11 of the terminal 1 executes various processes according to the programs read from the memory 12 and based on the user's operation. The memory 12 stores various programs such as a client application program (hereinafter referred to as a "client application") 41. The memory 12 can store various data such as label data 42, login information 44, purchase information 45, and paid content information 46. The memory 12 is also used as a working area when various processes are executed. The buffer provided in the CPU 11 is also an example of a memory. Note that an example of the memory 12 is not limited to a ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into the terminal 1, but may be a storage medium that can be read and written by the CPU 11, such as a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a USB memory.

[0029] The client application 41 has a function to create or edit label data. The client application 41 has a function to cause the label printer 2 to print the label data. The client application 41 has a function to store the label data 42 downloaded from the label management server 3 in the memory 12. The client application 41 has a function to accept a login operation when logging in to the label management server 3. The client application 41 has a browser function and can display web pages provided by the label management server 3.

[0030] The client application 41 has a function of storing paid content information 46 of paid content or functions purchased from the label management server 3 in the memory 12. The client application 41 has a function of acquiring purchase information 45 corresponding to a login ID from the label management server 3 and storing it in the memory 12. The client application 41 has a function of determining whether or not the label data to be used includes unpurchased paid content or functions, based on the purchase information 45 acquired from the label management server 3 and corresponding to the login ID. Each function will be described later. The client application 41 is an example of a "program".

[0031] The communication IF 13 includes hardware that controls communication with external devices such as the label printer 2 and the label management server 3. The user IF 14 includes hardware that displays a screen for notifying the user of information, and hardware that accepts operations by the user. Note that the user IF 14 may be a combination of a display capable of displaying information and a mouse or keyboard having an input reception function, or may be a touch panel having a display function and an input reception function.

[0032] Next, an operation of the terminal 1 in the label data sharing system 100 will be described. Each processing step in this embodiment basically indicates processing by the CPU 11 in accordance with instructions written in a program such as the client application 41. The processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the API of the OS. In this specification, a detailed description of the OS will be omitted and the operation of each program will be described.

[0033] (Content purchase processing) An example of the procedure of the content purchase process will be described with reference to FIG. 3. For example, the label management server 3 prepares a content purchase screen for a user to purchase paid content or functions. A URL is attached to the content purchase screen. The client application 41 can access the label management server 3 based on the URL of the content purchase screen and display the content purchase screen on the user IF 14 of the terminal 1 (G01). For example, as described later, the client application 41 can receive web page information for a label search screen from the label management server 22 and display the label search screen on the terminal 1. The label search screen includes a point content tag associated with the URL of the content purchase screen. When the point content tab is operated, the client application 41 can receive web page information for the content purchase screen from the label management server 3 and display it on the terminal 1.

[0034] Paid content and functions that can be downloaded to the terminal 1 are displayed in a selectable manner on the content purchase screen. Each paid content and function is associated with a paid content ID. The client application 41 logs in to the label management server 3 (G02), and when a purchase execution button on the content purchase screen is operated with paid content or function selected on the content purchase screen, the client application 41 transmits a content purchase request to the label management server 3 (G03). This request includes the paid content ID corresponding to the selected paid content or function. Free content and functions may be displayed in a selectable manner on the content purchase screen.

[0035] When the payment procedure is completed, the label management server 3 reads out from the content DB 8 the paid content information 46 corresponding to the content ID associated with the paid content or function selected on the content purchase screen (G04). The label management server 3 transmits the read out paid content information 46 to the terminal 1 that output the content purchase request (G05). The terminal 1 receives the paid content information 46 using the communication IF 13 and stores it in the memory 12 (G06). The label management server 3 that transmitted the paid content information 46 accesses the user DB 6 and updates the purchase information according to the purchased content for the record including the user ID of the logged-in user.

[0036] The user can access the label management server 3 by inputting the URL of the content purchase screen into a program other than the client application 41, such as a browser, on one terminal 1, and purchase the content or function. The user can also log in to the label management server 3 from multiple terminals 1 using his / her own user ID and password, and purchase the content or function. In this case, the label management server 3 also updates the user DB 6.

[0037] (Purchase information acquisition process) When a user uses label data including paid content or a function, the user must purchase the paid content or function. On the other hand, the purchase of paid content or a function differs from user to user.

[0038] The label management server 3 manages purchase information for each user in the user DB 6. Therefore, the label management server 3 determines whether or not the label data includes content or functions that the logged-in user has not purchased, based on the purchase information corresponding to the login ID, and if it determines that the content or functions are included, does not transmit the label data to the terminal 1, thereby restricting the user from using the label data including the content or functions that the logged-in user has not purchased.

[0039] However, when multiple people share one terminal 1, a user other than the user who downloaded the label data can access the label data on the terminal 1 even if they have not purchased the paid content or functions included in the label data. Also, when label data is shared by multiple terminals 1 using a sharing function, a user other than the user who downloaded the label data can access the label data from another terminal 1 using the sharing function even if they have not purchased the paid content or functions included in the label data. Use through these accesses cannot be restricted by the label management server 3. Therefore, it is preferable that the terminal 1 side can also determine whether or not the label data contains unpurchased paid content or functions based on the purchase information.

[0040] Therefore, the client application 41 acquires the purchase information from the label management server 3 while logged in to the label management server 3. The login method may be manual or automatic.

[0041] The procedure for acquiring purchase information will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. For example, when the client application 41 is started in a state where the login information 44 is not stored in the memory 12, the client application 41 displays the home screen 200 shown in Figure 4(A) on the user IF 14 of the terminal 1 in a state where the client application 41 is not logged in to the label management server 3.

[0042] For example, when the client application 41 accepts an operation of the server use button 203 displayed on the home screen 200, it accesses the label management server 3 and displays the label search screen 300 shown in FIG. 4(B) provided by the label management server 3 on the user IF 14. On the label search screen 300, it is possible to accept the selection of the label data to be downloaded from the label DB 7. When the client application 41 accepts an operation of the user button 312 displayed on the label search screen 300, it displays the login confirmation screen 401 shown in FIG. 4(C) provided by the label management server 3 on the terminal 1.

[0043] When the client application 41 accepts an operation of the login button 402 displayed on the login confirmation screen 401, the client application 41 causes the terminal 1 to display a login screen 411 shown in FIG. 4(D) provided by the label management server 3. As shown in FIG. 5(A), the client application 41 accepts a login operation by accepting an operation of the sign-in button 414 on the login screen 411 in a state in which the user ID and password of the user who uses the terminal 1 are entered in the user ID input field 412 and password input field 413 displayed on the login screen 411. In this case (A01), the client application 41 transmits a login request to the label management server 3 (A02). A01 to A02 are an example of a "login process".

[0044] When the label management server 3 accepts the login request, it performs login authentication based on the user ID and password entered on the login screen 411 (A03), and if the login is successful, it sends a login completion notification to the terminal 1 (A13). Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 4(E), the label management server 3 closes the login screen 411 and causes the terminal 1 to display the label search screen 300.

[0045] 5(A), when the client application 41 receives a login completion notification using the communication IF 13, it resets the purchase information 45 stored in the memory 12 (A14). This prevents the client application 41 from determining whether or not unpurchased paid content and functions are included in the label data based on the purchase information corresponding to the user ID of the previously logged-in user, thereby improving the accuracy of the determination.

[0046] Furthermore, the client application 41 saves the user ID and password used for login in the memory 12 as login information 44 (A15). This allows the client application 41 to know that it is logged in to the label management server 3. Note that the client application 41 may know whether it is logged in or not by a method other than the presence or absence of the login information 44, such as a flag.

[0047] Furthermore, the client application 41 executes a purchase information acquisition process (A16). A16 is an example of an "acquisition process". Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5(B), the client application 41 requests the label management server 3 to transmit purchase information (A21). This request is accompanied by the user ID included in the login information 44 stored in the memory 12, i.e., the user ID of the logged-in user.

[0048] The label management server 3 accesses the user DB 6 and reads out the purchase information 45 corresponding to the received user ID (A22). That is, the label management server 3 reads out the purchase information 45 corresponding to the user ID of the logged-in user. The purchase information 45 includes the paid content IDs of the contents and functions purchased by the logged-in user. The label management server 3 transmits the read purchase information 45 to the client application 41 (A23). The client application 41 stores the received purchase information 45 in the memory 12 (A24). In this way, the client application 41 can obtain the purchase information 45 corresponding to the user ID of the logged-in user.

[0049] Next, referring to Fig. 6, a procedure for acquiring purchase information in the case of automatic login at startup will be described. For example, when the client application 41 is started (A31), it determines whether or not it ended in the previous login state (A32). If the login information 44 is stored in the memory 12, the client application 41 determines that it ended in the previous login state. In this case (alt: end), the client application 41 sends a login request to the label management server 3 (A33). The login request is accompanied by the login information 44 stored in the memory 12.

[0050] The label management server 3 performs login authentication by checking the received login information 44 against the user DB 6 (A34). The label management server 3 transmits the authentication result to the client application 41 (A35). If the login is successful (alt: login successful), the client application 41 executes purchase information acquisition processing based on the user ID included in the login information 44 stored in the memory 12, that is, the user ID of the previous login user (A16). The purchase information acquisition processing has been described above, so a description thereof will be omitted. As a result, the client application 41 acquires purchase information corresponding to the user ID of the previous login user. After that, the client application 41 displays the home screen 200 on the user IF 14 while logged in to the label management server 3 (A37).

[0051] On the other hand, when the client application 41 is started in a state where the login information 44 is not stored in the memory 12 (A31), it determines that the application has not ended in the previous login state. In this case, the client application 41 does not acquire purchase information from the label management server 3, and causes the user IF 14 to display the home screen 200 in a state where the client application 41 has not logged in to the label management server 3 (A37).

[0052] It should be noted that the user may access the label management server 3 from a program or device other than the client application 41 and purchase paid content and functions. Therefore, the client application 41 of this embodiment executes the purchase information acquisition process shown in Fig. 5(B) even when the server use button 203 shown in Fig. 4(E) is operated using the user IF 14. In this case, the client application 41 acquires purchase information from the label management server 3 using the user ID included in the login information 44 stored in the memory 12, that is, the user ID of the logged-in user at the time of operating the server use button 203.

[0053] Furthermore, in the case where label data stored in the label management server 33 is selected while logged in to the label management server 33 and the label data is opened, the client application 41 of this embodiment also executes the purchase information acquisition process shown in Fig. 5(B). This will be described later.

[0054] (Label posting process) Next, the procedure of the label posting process will be described with reference to FIG. 7. Here, an example will be described in which a user A (hereinafter referred to as "contributor A") posts label data using terminal 1A. For ease of explanation, the terminal 1 used by contributor A and its components will be given the suffix "A." Terminal 1A is an example of a "first information processing device."

[0055] As shown in FIG. 7(A), contributor A starts client application 41A of terminal 1A, and creates and saves label data 42 to be posted on terminal 1A (H01). For example, as shown in FIG. 7(B), contributor A selects a text object on an editing screen provided by client application 41, and inputs the character string "niju20" into label data 42. Contributor A inputs a special pictograph of an airplane before the character string, and further selects the character string "20" and sets a special font. This creates label data 42 including paid content 421 of the special pictograph and paid content 422 of the special font.

[0056] When the contributor A completes the creation of the label data 42, he or she operates a save button on the editing screen to save the created label data 42 in the memory 12A. Specifically, when saving the label data 42, the client application 41A stores information constituting the label shown in the label data 42. The information constituting the label is, for example, the object type "text object", the arrangement of the text object, the special emoticon inputted to the text object, the character string "niju20", and the special font set for the character string "20". The client application 41A stores the paid content ID of the paid content included in the label data 42 in the label data. This makes it possible to easily identify the paid content ID of the paid content and function set in the label data 42 from the label data.

[0057] For example, after the label data 42 is saved in the memory 12A by the contributor A, when the client application 41A accepts an operation of the Use Server button 203 displayed on the home screen 200 shown in Fig. 4(A), it causes the user IF 14 to display the label search screen 300 shown in Fig. 4(B) provided by the label management server 3. When the client application 41A logs in to the label management server 3 and accepts an operation of the Post button 323 displayed on the label search screen 300, it causes the terminal 1A to display a Post screen (not shown) provided by the label management server 3. The process of logging in by the terminal 1A is an example of a "first login process".

[0058] The client application 41A accepts the selection of label data 42 to be posted from among the label data stored in the terminal 1A on a posting screen (not shown), and further accepts input of predetermined supplemental information. The supplemental information is, for example, the label name, category, label description, and an image showing an example of how the label is used. The client application 41A accepts an upload instruction (H02) by operating a new posting button displayed on a posting screen (not shown), as shown in FIG. 7(A), and uploads the label data 42 to be uploaded to the label management server 3 (H03). The uploaded label data 42 is assigned the user ID of the logged-in user, i.e., the user ID "aaa1" of poster A, and the supplemental information input on the posting screen (not shown). H03 is an example of an "upload process".

[0059] The label management server 3 reads out the paid content ID from the received label data 42 and creates a paid content list (H04). For example, the label management server 3 extracts the paid content ID "cnt1" of the special pictogram and the paid content ID "cnt4" of the special font from the posted label data 42 and adds them to the paid content list.

[0060] The label management server 3 stores the received posted label data 42 and the created paid content list in the label DB 7 (H05). Specifically, the label management server 3 creates a new label ID "ddd1" and stores it as a new label ID 71 in the label DB 7 of FIG. 2(B). The label management server 3 stores the received user ID "aaa1" of the contributor A, the posted label data 42, and the supplementary information as a user ID (creator) 72, label data 73, and supplementary information 75, respectively, as a record corresponding to the new label ID 71. The label management server 3 stores the paid content list created in H04 as a paid content list 74. The label management server 3 stores the date of posting as the posting date 76. As a result, the posted label data 42 uploaded by the contributor A from the terminal 1A to the label management server 3 is registered in the label DB 7, and the label management server 3 becomes able to provide the posted label data 42 in response to a request from the contributor A and another user.

[0061] When the registration of the posted label data 42 is completed, the label management server 3 notifies the client application 41 of that effect (H07). The client application 41A causes the user IF 14A of the terminal 1A to display a message indicating that the registration is complete (H07). This allows the poster A to know that the registration of the posted label data 42 is complete.

[0062] (Label data download process) Next, the procedure for the download process to download label data will be described. Here, an example will be described in which poster A and another user B download and use posted label data 42 on terminal 1A and another terminal 1B. For ease of explanation, the suffix "B" will be added to the terminal 1 and its components used by user B. User B is an example of a "first logged-in user." Terminal 1B is an example of a "second information processing device." Note that the download target is not limited to posted label data, and may be label data provided by a label printer vendor or the like.

[0063] For example, user B starts the client application 41B and logs in to the label management server 3 using user B's user ID "aaa2". The process of user B logging in to the label management server 3 is an example of "second login process". As shown in FIG. 4(E), the label management server 3 displays a label search screen 300 on the terminal 1B while user B is logged in to the label management server 3. On the label search screen 300, image images or thumbnail images of the label data stored in the label DB7 are displayed in a selectable manner. On the label search screen 300, the client application 41B accepts an operation to select an image image or thumbnail image 331 corresponding to the posted label data 42, thereby accepting the selection of the label data to be downloaded, as shown in FIG. 8 (B11).

[0064] When the client application 41B accepts the selection of the download target, it displays a download screen provided by the label management server 3 to the user IF 14B (B12). The download screen has a download execution button. When the client application 41B accepts the operation of the download execution button, it accepts a download instruction (B22) and requests the label management server 3 to transmit the selected label data (B23). The download request includes the label ID "ddd1" of the selected posted label data 42 and the user ID "aaa2" of user B who instructed the download of the posted label data 42. Note that the number of label data selected as the download target is not limited to one, and may be multiple.

[0065] When the label management server 3 receives the download instruction, it accesses the label DB 7 and reads out the posted label data 42 from the label data 73 associated with the received label ID "ddd1" (B24). The label management server 3 sends the read out posted label data 42 to the client application 41B (B25).

[0066] When the client application 41B receives the posted label data 42 using the communication IF 13B, it stores it in the memory 12B (B26). As shown in FIG. 2(B), the posted label data 42 includes paid content IDs "cnt1" and "cnt4". As shown in FIG. 2(A), the paid content IDs "cnt1" and "cnt4" are included in the purchase information of user B. In other words, user B has already purchased paid content 421 of a special emoticon and paid content 422 of a special font that are set in the selected posted label data 42. Therefore, user B can use the posted label data 42 downloaded to terminal 1B.

[0067] (Label data usage processing) Next, the procedure for the process of using label data will be explained. Here, an example will be explained in which user C uses terminal 1B shared with user B to use posted label data 42 downloaded by user B to terminal 1B. For ease of explanation, the terminal 1 used by user C and its components will be given the suffix "B". User C is an example of a "second logged-in user".

[0068] For example, user C starts the client application 41B and logs in to the label management server 3 using the user C's user ID "aaa3". In this case, the client application 41B obtains the purchase information corresponding to the user C's user ID "aaa3" who uses the posted label data 42 from the label management server 3.

[0069] For example, when the client application 41B accepts an operation of the file button 202 displayed on the home screen 200 of FIG. 9(A), the client application 41B displays an edited label display screen 700 shown in FIG. 9(B) on the user IF 14B of the terminal 1B. On the edited label display screen 700, sample images 701, 702 of label data that is stored in the terminal 1B and that can be used using the client application 41B are displayed in a selectable manner. The label data that can be used using the client application 41B may be label data created or edited by the client application 41B, or may be label data downloaded from the label management server 3. For example, the sample image 701 corresponds to the posted label data 42 downloaded by the user B from the label management server 3.

[0070] When the client application 41B receives the operation to select the sample image 701, it receives the selection of label data (D11) and further receives an instruction to open the selected label data (D12), as shown in Fig. 10. D11 is an example of a "selection process." The client application 41B determines whether or not the user is logged in (D13).

[0071] When the login information 44 is not stored in the memory 12B, the client application 41B determines that the user is not logged in (alt: not logged in). In this case, the client application 41B has not acquired purchase information corresponding to the user ID of the logged-in user, and therefore causes the terminal 1B to display a login notification screen 511 shown in FIG. 9(C) (D41). The login notification screen 511 includes a message 512 notifying the user that login is required, and an OK button 514. D41 is an example of a "login notification process."

[0072] The client application 41B also restricts the use of the selected posted label data 42 (D42). Restrictions on the use of the selected label data include not being able to open the selected label data, not being able to edit the data even if it is opened, and not being able to print the data. "Making it impossible to open" the label data 42 may mean not accepting an instruction to open the data when the label data is selected, or, even if it is possible to accept the instruction, notifying an error and canceling the process to open the label data after it is accepted. The same applies to "making it impossible to print" and "making it impossible to edit" the label data 42. This makes it possible to prevent user C from using label data that cannot be determined to include paid content or functions that user C has not yet purchased. D42 is an example of a "paid label restriction process."

[0073] On the other hand, when login information 44 is stored in memory 12B, client application 41B determines that the user is logged in (alt: logged in). In this case, client application 41B resets purchase information 45 stored in memory 12B (D20) and executes purchase information acquisition processing (A16). The procedure for the purchase information acquisition processing has been described above, so a detailed description will be omitted. This allows client application 41B to store purchase information 45 corresponding to login user C's user ID "aaa3" in memory 12B immediately before opening posted label data 42, thereby improving the accuracy of determining whether or not there is any unpurchased paid content or function.

[0074] 10, the client application 41B acquires (D21) a paid content ID of the paid content or function set in the selected posted label data 42. For example, the client application 41B acquires the paid content ID from the selected posted label data 42. The client application 41B acquires, from the memory 12B, purchase information 45 corresponding to the user ID of user C (D22).

[0075] The client application 41B compares the paid content IDs of the posted label data 42 acquired in D21 with the purchase information 45 acquired in D22 (D23) and determines whether or not unpurchased paid content and functions are included in the selected posted label data 42 (D24). If at least one of the paid content IDs acquired in D21 is not included in the purchase information 45 acquired in D22, the client application 41B determines that unpurchased paid content and functions are included in the selected posted label data 42, and if all of the paid content IDs acquired in D21 are included in the purchase information 45 acquired in D22, the client application 41B determines that unpurchased paid content and functions are not included in the selected posted label data 42. D24 is an example of a "determination process".

[0076] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2B, the posted label data 42 to which the label ID "ddd1" is assigned includes paid content IDs "ctn1" and "ctn4". On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2A, the purchase information 45 corresponding to the user ID "aaa3" of user C does not include paid content IDs "cnt1" and "cnt4". Therefore, the paid content ID of the paid content or function set in the posted label data 42 is not included in the purchase information 45 of the logged-in user C. In this case, the client application 41B determines that the paid content or function not purchased by user C is included in the selected posted label data 42 (alt: yes), and notifies the user that the selected posted label data 42 includes the unpurchased content or function (D31). D31 is an example of a "notification process".

[0077] The client application 41B of this embodiment displays a non-purchase notification screen 501 shown in FIG. 9(D) on the user IF 14B of the terminal 1B. For example, the non-purchase notification screen 501 includes a non-purchase notification message 502, a purchase suggestion message 503, a purchase button 504, and a do not purchase button 505. The non-purchase notification message 502 includes a message notifying that the selected label data includes a content or function that has not been purchased. The non-purchase notification message 502 may include a message notifying that the selected label data includes a content or function that has not been purchased and therefore the selected label data cannot be used. The purchase suggestion message 503 includes a message suggesting the purchase of the content or function that has not been purchased. The purchase button 504 is an operation object that accepts a purchase instruction to purchase the content or function that has not been purchased. The do not purchase button 505 is an operation object that accepts a purchase instruction to not purchase the content or function that has not been purchased.

[0078] For example, a URL corresponding to a content purchase screen is associated with the purchase button 504. When the client application 41B receives a purchase instruction in response to the operation of the purchase button 504 (D32: YES), the client application 41B accesses the URL and requests the purchase of the content (D33).

[0079] The label management server 3 performs a purchase process (D34). For example, the label management server 3 provides a content purchase screen to the terminal 1B and causes the client application 41B to display it. If unpurchased paid content IDs "cnt1" and "cnt4" are stored in the received URL query, the label management server 3 may display the content purchase screen with the paid content corresponding to the paid content IDs "cnt1" and "cnt4" automatically selected.

[0080] According to this, for example, user C operates the server use button 203 to display the label search screen 300 on terminal 1B, and by tapping the point content tab 322 displayed on the label search screen 300 as shown in Fig. 4(E), the user C can display the content purchase screen on terminal 1B simply by tapping the purchase button 504 without going through an operational procedure of switching the label search screen to a content purchase screen. Thus, the client application 41B can reduce the operations required to purchase unpurchased content or functions, and can encourage user C to purchase paid content.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 10, when the purchase process is completed, the label management server 3 reads out the paid content information 46 corresponding to the paid content IDs "cnt1" and "cnt4" from the content DB 8 and sends it to the client application 41B (D35). The client application 41B receives the paid content information 46 using the communication IF 13B and stores it in the memory 12B (D36). The label management server 3 also updates the user DB 6 (D40) in the same manner as G07 in FIG. 3. After that, the client application 41B opens the selected posted label data 42 (D37). For example, the client application 41B can open the contents of the posted label data 42 on an editing screen and edit the posted label data 42, or send the posted label data 42 to a label printer to print it.

[0082] On the other hand, when the client application 41B receives the operation of the “Do not purchase” button 505, the client application 41B does not receive the purchase instruction (D32: NO). In this case, the client application 41B restricts the use of the posted label data 42 (D38) in the same manner as in D42. D38 is an example of the “selected label restriction process”.

[0083] If all of the paid content IDs of the posted label data 42 acquired in D21 are included in the purchase information 45 acquired in D22, the client application 41B determines that the selected label data does not contain any unpurchased paid content or functions (D24, alt: none). In this case, the client application 41B opens the selected label data (D39), for example. D39 is the same process as D37, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0084] When users B and C share the posted label data 42 using the sharing function, user C can access and use the posted label data 42 downloaded by user B using terminal 1B from another terminal 1C.

[0085] However, by executing the process shown in FIG. 10, the client application 41C of terminal 1C can obtain purchase information corresponding to user C's user ID before selecting and opening the posted label data 42, determine that the posted label data 42 contains paid content that user C has not yet purchased, and notify the user of this fact or restrict the use of the posted label data 42.

[0086] As described above in detail, when paid content or functions included in selected label data 42 have not been purchased, the terminal 1 equipped with the client application 41 of this embodiment executes the client application 41 to notify that the selected label data 42 includes unpurchased content or functions. This makes it easy for a logged-in user using the client application 41 to notice that there is unpurchased content or functions. As a result, the purchase of unpurchased content or functions is encouraged. Thus, this embodiment realizes a technology that makes it easy to use label data that includes settings for paid content or paid functions in a system that aims to use label data.

[0087] The embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples and do not limit the present invention in any way. Naturally, the techniques disclosed in this specification can be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. The number of printers connected to the terminal is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be two or more. The various notifications described in the above embodiments may be combined with a warning sound or voice in addition to a displayed message. Purchase information may be periodically acquired while the client application 41 is running.

[0088] The process of D38 shown in Fig. 10 may be omitted. However, by restricting the use of label data including unpurchased content or functions, the logged-in user can be prompted to purchase the unpurchased content or functions.

[0089] 5A may be omitted. However, the client application 41 can obtain the purchase information of the logged-in user in response to a successful login, thereby determining whether or not the logged-in user has already purchased paid content or a function included in the selected label data in the logged-in state.

[0090] The process of A16 shown in Fig. 6 may be omitted. Also, when the server use button 203 is operated, it is not necessary to acquire purchase information from the label management server 3. However, by performing the process of acquiring purchase information even when the device is restarted while logged in or when an operation to use the label management server 3 is accepted after successful login, the client application 41 can acquire purchase information reflecting the purchase details from the label management server 3 and update the purchase information held by the client application 41 even if paid content or functions are purchased using another program or another device after successful login. This allows the client application 41 to determine with high accuracy whether or not paid content, etc. has been purchased.

[0091] The processes from D13 onward in Fig. 10 may be omitted. However, by acquiring purchase information corresponding to the login ID when an instruction to open the selected label data is given, the purchase information is updated immediately before judging whether or not paid content, etc. has been purchased, and it is possible to judge with high accuracy whether or not paid content, etc. has been purchased. In particular, compared to the case where the purchase information acquisition process is executed when login is successful or when login is already completed at the time of rebooting as shown in Figs. 5(A) and 6, the purchase information acquired is more recent than the judgment process, so that the judgment accuracy is higher. On the other hand, by acquiring purchase information when login is successful or when login is already completed at the time of rebooting as shown in Figs. 5(A) and 6, it takes less time to open the label data than the case where the purchase information acquisition process is executed when opening the label data as shown in Fig. 10.

[0092] The unpurchased notification screen 501 may omit the purchase suggestion message 503, the Purchase button 504, and the Don't Purchase button 505, and may only notify that there is unpurchased paid content and functions. However, the client application 41 can also purchase unpurchased content and the like via the unpurchased notification screen 501, thereby reducing the effort required for purchase operations.

[0093] The process of D41 in Fig. 10 may be omitted. However, if the user is not logged in to the label management server 3, it is not possible to identify the user and to determine whether or not paid content or functions have been purchased. Therefore, when the client application 41 receives the selection of label data in which paid content or functions are set in a state in which the user is not logged in, the client application 41 notifies the user of the need to log in, so that the user can easily notice that he or she is not logged in and can prompt the user to perform a login operation.

[0094] The process of D42 in Fig. 10 may be omitted. However, when the user is not logged in to the label management server 3, the use of label data including paid content or functions can be restricted to prevent users who have not purchased the label data from using the label data.

[0095] The client application 41 may provide a print button on the edited label display screen 700 shown in Fig. 9(B) and, for example, accept an operation of the print button with the sample image 701 selected, thereby accepting a print instruction without opening the label data 42. In this case, the client application 41 may change D12 in Fig. 10 to a process for accepting a print instruction, change D37 and D39 to a process for sending print data, and change D38 and D42 to a process for not sending print data. This makes it possible to accurately determine the presence or absence of unpurchased paid content or functions immediately before printing the label data, and to issue a notification or restrict printing if it is determined that there is.

[0096] The label DB 7 may be stored in multiple databases. For example, the label data may be stored in a database separate from the label DB 7, and the URLs assigned to each label data may be stored in the label DB 7 instead of the label data 73. Also, an object management database that manages objects that can be used in the label data may be provided separate from the label DB 7, and paid content IDs may not be stored in the label data. The label management server 3 may compare paid content or functions set in the label data with the object management database to create a paid content list.

[0097] In the download procedure shown in Fig. 8, even if the label data to be downloaded contains content or functions that the logged-in user has not purchased, the label management server 3 can transmit the label data to the terminal 1B. In response to this, the label management server 3 may have a function to determine whether the label data to be downloaded contains content or functions that the logged-in user has not purchased, based on the purchase information of the logged-in user. For example, the label management server 3 reads out the label data and the paid content list associated with the received label ID from the label DB 7 at B24 in Fig. 8. In addition, the label management server 3 reads out the purchase information corresponding to the received user ID from the user DB 6.

[0098] If all of the paid content IDs included in the read paid content list are included in the read purchasing information, the label management server 3 determines that the posted label data to be downloaded does not contain any unpurchased content or functions, and sends the read label data to the client application 41B. On the other hand, if the read purchasing information does not contain at least one of the paid content IDs included in the read paid content list, the label management server 3 determines that the label data to be downloaded contains any unpurchased content or functions, and does not send the read label data to the client application 41B. This makes it possible to prevent label data including unpurchased paid content or functions from being downloaded to the terminal 1B and used.

[0099] Furthermore, in any sequence diagram disclosed in the embodiments, any of a plurality of processes can be executed in a different order or in parallel as long as no contradiction occurs in the process contents.

[0100] The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as ASIC, or a combination of these. The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be realized in various forms, such as a recording medium having a program for executing the processes recorded thereon, or a method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 100 Label Management System 1 Device 2. Label printer 3 Label Management Server 6 User DB

Claims

1. A program executable by a computer of an information processing device connectable to a server, the server being capable of storing a plurality of label data, the label data being data that can be printed by a label printer, the label data being capable of including settings for paid content or paid functions, the server being further capable of accessing a purchase information database, the purchase information database storing purchase information indicating whether or not paid content and functions have been purchased for each user ID, The computer includes: A login process for requesting login to the server by associating a user ID with the server; a download process for downloading at least one of the label data stored in the server from the server while logged in to the server, and storing the downloaded data in a memory of the information processing device; It is possible to execute The computer further comprises: While logged in to the server, an acquisition process for acquiring the purchase information corresponding to a user ID of a logged-in user via the server; A selection process for selecting the label data to be used; a determination process for determining whether or not the label data selected in the selection process includes settings for paid content or functions that have not yet been purchased, based on the purchase information acquired in the acquisition process; It is possible to execute The computer further comprises: When it is determined in the determination process that the content or function settings that have not been purchased are included, executing a notification process for notifying, on a user interface of the information processing device, that the label data selected in the selection process includes content or a function that has not been purchased; A program that is structured as follows.

2. The program according to claim 1, The computer further comprises: executing a selected label restriction process for restricting use of the label data selected in the selection process when it is determined in the determination process that the label data includes settings of content or functions that have not been purchased. A program that is structured as follows.

3. The program according to claim 2, In the selection label restriction process, restricting the use of the label data selected in the selection process by making it impossible to open the label data selected in the selection process; A program that is structured as follows.

4. The program according to claim 2, In the selection label restriction process, restricting the use of the label data selected in the selection process by making it impossible to print the label data selected in the selection process; A program that is structured as follows.

5. The program according to claim 2, In the selection label restriction process, restricting the use of the label data selected in the selection process by making the label data selected in the selection process uneditable; A program that is structured as follows.

6. The program according to claim 1, The computer includes: When the login to the server is successful in the login process, the acquisition process is executed. A program that is structured as follows.

7. The program according to claim 6, The computer includes: When the program is started after the program is terminated while the user is still logged in to the server, the login process is executed, and when the user is successful in logging in to the server in the login process, the acquisition process is executed. A program that is structured as follows.

8. The program according to claim 6, The computer includes: and executing the acquisition process even when a predetermined operation for using the server is received via the user interface of the information processing device after the login to the server is successful in the login process. A program that is structured as follows.

9. The program according to claim 1, The computer includes: when an instruction to open the label data selected in the selection process is received, the acquisition process is executed before the determination process is executed. A program that is structured as follows.

10. The program according to claim 1, In the notification process, a purchase instruction for the unpurchased content or function included in the label data selected in the selection process can be accepted, and when the purchase instruction is accepted, a purchase process for purchasing the unpurchased content or function is executed by the computer; A program that is structured as follows.

11. The program according to claim 1, The computer includes: executing a login notification process for notifying the user of the necessity of logging in on the user interface of the information processing device when label data including paid content or function settings is selected while the user is not logged in to the server; A program that is structured as follows.

12. The program according to claim 11, The computer further comprises: When label data including a paid content or function setting is selected while the user is not logged in to the server, a paid label restriction process is executed to restrict the use of the selected label data. A program that is structured as follows.

13. The program according to claim 1, The label data downloaded by a first logged-in user in the download process can be accessed by a second logged-in user different from the first logged-in user, In the selection process, the label data stored in the memory in the download process can be selected by a user other than the logged-in user who has downloaded the label data from the server; A program that is structured as follows.

14. The program according to claim 1, The label data stored in a device other than the information processing device can be shared, In the selection process, The label data stored in the other device is selectable from the label data downloaded by the other device from the server. A program that is structured as follows.

15. An information processing device connectable to a server, the label data being data that can be printed by a label printer, the server being capable of storing a plurality of label data, the label data being capable of including settings for paid content or paid functions, the server being further capable of accessing a purchase information database, the purchase information database storing purchase information indicating whether or not paid content and functions have been purchased for each user ID, The information processing device includes: A login process for requesting login to the server by associating a user ID with the server; a download process for downloading at least one of the label data stored in the server from the server while logged in to the server, and storing the downloaded data in a memory of the information processing device; It is possible to carry out The information processing device further includes: While logged in to the server, an acquisition process for acquiring the purchase information corresponding to a user ID of a logged-in user via the server; A selection process for selecting the label data to be used; a determination process for determining whether or not the label data selected in the selection process includes settings for paid content or functions that have not yet been purchased, based on the purchase information acquired in the acquisition process; It is possible to carry out The information processing device further includes: When it is determined in the determination process that the content or function settings that have not been purchased are included, executing a notification process for notifying, on a user interface of the information processing device, that the label data selected in the selection process includes content or a function that has not yet been purchased; It is configured as follows.

16. A label data sharing system comprising a first information processing device, a second information processing device, and a server, the first information processing device and the second information processing device being connectable to the server via a network, The server, When a login is requested, a login process is performed based on a user ID associated with the login request; The server further comprises: label data can be stored in association with a user ID, the label data can be printed by a label printer, and the label data can include settings for paid content or paid functions; Furthermore, the server a purchase information database is accessible, and the purchase information database stores purchase information indicating whether or not paid content and functions have been purchased for each user ID; The first information processing device, a first login process for requesting login to the server in association with a user ID; an upload process of uploading, to the server, posted label data, which is the label data owned by the first information processing device, in a state where the logged-in user is logged in to the server, in association with the user ID of the logged-in user; It is possible to carry out The server, The posted label data uploaded from the first information processing device is stored in association with the user ID associated with the uploaded posted label data, The second information processing device is A second login process for requesting login to the server in association with a user ID; a download process of downloading at least one of the post label data stored in the server from the server while logged in to the server, and storing the data in a memory of the second information processing device; It is possible to carry out The second information processing device further comprises: While logged in to the server, an acquisition process for acquiring the purchase information corresponding to a user ID of a logged-in user via the server; A selection process for selecting the post label data to be used; a determination process for determining whether or not the post label data selected in the selection process includes settings of paid content or functions that have not been purchased based on the purchase information acquired in the acquisition process; It is possible to carry out The second information processing device further includes: When it is determined in the determination process that the content or function settings that have not been purchased are included, executing a notification process for notifying, on a user interface of the information processing device, that the post label data selected in the selection process includes unpurchased content or function; A label data sharing system configured to:

Images