Program, server, and label data sharing system

Abstract

To allow a user to easily select label data to be downloaded in a system for utilizing label data.SOLUTION: A label management server 22 can access a label DB 26, and label data are registered in the label DB 26. The label management server 22 acquires a print log to be output when a terminal 12B causes a label printer 11B to print the label data. The print log includes a label ID and a print date and time. The label management server 22 acquires a print log for each label data stored in the label DB 26, and counts the number of printing operations performed within a predetermined time. When a proposal request from a terminal 12C is received, the label management server 22 proposes the label data with high printing frequency to the terminal 12C on the basis of the number of printing operations counted for each label data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a program, a server, 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, a system has been considered in which a user who creates label data used to print labels on a label printer uploads the label data to a server, and another user can download and use the label data from the server. In such a system, when the number of label data collected on the server increases, it becomes a hassle for the user to select the label data to download. Patent Document 1 describes displaying a list of photo data stored on the server to allow the user to select, but does not describe any ideas for making it easier to select content such as photo data, so there is room for improvement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The program that has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems is a program that can be executed by a server computer, the server being able to access a label database, in which label data and a label ID that identifies the label data can be registered in association with each other, the computer being able to execute a transmission process, when a download request is received from a first information processing device in which one of the label data registered in the label database is specified, for transmitting the specified label data to the first information processing device in association with the corresponding label ID, and further being able to execute an acquisition process, in which a print log is acquired by the first information processing device from the server, the print log being stored in the label database by the first information processing device. the print log is output from the first information processing device when a label printer is caused to print based on the label data received from the first information processing device, the print log including the label ID corresponding to the printed label data and time information, and the computer is further configured to execute a count process that counts the number of times each of the label data registered in the label database is printed within a predetermined period based on the print log acquired in the acquisition process, and the computer is further configured to execute a proposal process that suggests label data that is printed frequently based on the number of times each of the label data is printed counted in the count process when a proposal request is received from a second information processing device.

[0007] A server equipped with a program having the above configuration counts the number of times each label data is printed within a predetermined period based on the print log received from the first information processing device that caused the label printer to print the label data. When a proposal request is received from the second information processing device, the server proposes label data that is printed frequently based on the number of times printed for each label data. This enables the server to propose label data that is printed frequently within the predetermined period to the user via the second information processing device. Therefore, the user who made the proposal request can recognize label data that is printed frequently by other users, i.e., that tends to have high utility value, and can easily select such label data.

[0008] A system, an apparatus, and a control method for implementing the functions of the above-mentioned program, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the program are also novel and useful. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The technology disclosed in this specification realizes a technology that allows a user to easily select label data to be downloaded in a system that utilizes label data. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a label data sharing system. [Diagram 2] 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams showing examples of a user database, a label database, and a tape database. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a print log database. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a procedure of a posting process and a download process. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen transition. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure of a printing process. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure of a cache process. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for a recommendation display process. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for a counting process. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for a proposal information generating process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] An embodiment of a label data sharing system will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment discloses a label data sharing system that connects a server and a plurality of information processing devices via a network to share label data used for printing labels with a label printer.

[0012] A label data sharing system 100 (hereinafter abbreviated as "system 100") according to this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a system provided to a user by, for example, a label printer vendor. The system 100 includes a terminal 12 and a label management server 22, which are connected via an Internet line 21. The terminal 12 is a terminal owned by the owner or user (hereinafter referred to as "user") of the label printer. The terminal 12 can be connected to a print log server 23 via the Internet line 21. The terminal 12 can be connected to a label printer 11. The label management server 22 can be connected to the print log server 23. The label management server 22 is an example of a "server." The Internet line 21 is an example of a "network." Although only one terminal 12 is shown in FIG. 1, in reality, many terminals 12 are connected to the label management server 22. The print log server 23 can access a print log database (hereinafter referred to as the "print log DB") 30, and can store and manage in the print log DB 30 each print log in which the multiple terminals 12 that make up the system 100 cause the label printer 11 to print label data.

[0013] The label printer 11 is a printing device that includes, for example, a thermal transfer print head and prints on a rolled tape while unwinding it. The label printer 11 prints an image on the stored tape and transports the tape based on, for example, a print job received from the terminal 12, 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 11. The label width is the length in the direction perpendicular to the label length.

[0014] The label printer 11 is connected to the terminal 12 by wireless LAN communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The label printer 11 and the terminal 12 may also be connected by wire using the USB communication standard.

[0015] There are multiple types of tape that can be used with the label printer 11. The types of tape may be distinguished, for example, by the width of the tape, by the color of the tape or ink, or by the material of the tape or whether or not it has been specially processed. The model of the label printer that can be used with the tape is determined in advance depending on the type of tape. The user can replace the type of tape suitable for the purpose or use, etc., from among the multiple types of tape that correspond to the model of the label printer that will be used to print.

[0016] The terminal 12 is an information processing device having a communication function, a display function, and an operation function. The terminal 12 in this embodiment is configured as a smartphone, but may also be configured as a tablet or a personal computer. The terminal 12 stores a client application program (hereinafter referred to as a "client app") 13.

[0017] The terminal 12 can obtain and store capability information 14 from the label printer 11. The capability information 14 is, for example, an IP address, printer information, and tape information. This information will be described later.

[0018] The client application 13 is an application program provided by the vendor of the label printer 11. The client application 13 has a function for creating and editing label data on the terminal 12. The client application 13 stores content information 16 of content downloaded from the label management server 22, and can use the content to create and edit label data. The client application 13 has a function for posting, i.e. uploading, the created label data to the label management server 22. The client application 13 has a function for downloading label data from the label management server 22. The client application 13 can save the created or edited label data and the label data downloaded from the label management server 22 as label data 15 in the terminal 12.

[0019] The client application 13 has a function for printing label data 15 using the label printer 11. When the client application 13 causes the label printer 11 to print label data, the client application 13 has a function for outputting a print log of the label data to the print log server 23 via the Internet line 21. The client application 13 has a function for requesting the label management server 22 to suggest frequently printed label data. Thus, the terminal 12 can be an example of any of the following: a "third information processing device" that posts label data, a "first information processing device" that prints label data and outputs a print log, and a "second information processing device" that sends a suggestion request. Each function of the client application 13 will be described later.

[0020] The label management server 22 is a device having at least a storage function and a communication function. The label management server 22 includes a control unit 220 having a CPU 221 and a memory 222. The label management server 22 includes a network interface (hereinafter referred to as "network IF") 225, an operation display unit 226, and an interface 227, which are connected to the control unit 220. The CPU 221 is an example of a "computer". The control unit 220 may also be an example of a "computer".

[0021] The CPU 221 executes various processes according to programs read from the memory 222 and based on user operations. The memory 222 is a storage area for storing various programs such as a server program 228 and various data such as cache information 230. The memory 222 is also used as a working area when various processes are executed.

[0022] The server program 228 is a program for managing label data and the printing of label data. The server program 228 has a function for accepting submissions of label data and transmitting the submitted label data to the terminals. When the server program 228 accepts a proposal request output from the terminal 12, it has a function for counting the number of times each label data is printed based on the print log, and for proposing label data that is printed frequently to the terminal 12. The server program 228 is an example of a "program". The functions of the server program 228 will be described later.

[0023] The cache information 230 is information that the label management server 22 periodically counts the number of times printing is performed for each label data, regardless of a proposal request, and stores in the memory 222. The cache information 230 will be described later.

[0024] 1 is not limited to a ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into the device, but may be a storage medium readable and writable by the CPU 221. In addition to the above examples, storage media readable by the CPU 221 also include recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs.

[0025] The operation display unit 226 includes hardware for displaying a screen for notifying the user of information, and hardware for accepting operations by the user. Note that the operation display unit 226 may be a touch panel having both a display function and an operation acceptance function, or may be a combination of a display having a display function and a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, or the like having an operation acceptance function.

[0026] The network IF 225 includes hardware for communicating with external devices such as the terminal 12 and the print log server 23. The communication standard of the network IF 225 is Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi, etc. The communication mode of the network IF 225 may be wired or wireless. The network IF 225 in this embodiment is connected to the Internet line 21. The network IF 225 is connected to the print log server 23 by wire or wirelessly. The print log server 23 is connected to a print log database (hereinafter referred to as "print log DB") and registers print logs. The print log DB 30 will be described later.

[0027] The interface 227 is connected to a user database (hereinafter referred to as "user DB") 25, a label database (hereinafter referred to as "label DB") 26, and a tape database (hereinafter referred to as "tape DB") 27. In this embodiment, the interface 227 is connected to the user DB 25 and the label DB 26 via a wired LAN 24. The user DB 25 and the label DB 26 may be included in the label management server 22, or may be included in a server other than the label management server 22. The user DB 25 and the label DB 26 may be included in separate servers. The label management server 22 and the print log server 23 may be integrated, and for example, the label management server 22 may include the print log DB 30.

[0028] 2(A), the user DB 25 can store information about users who can use the services provided by the system 100. The user DB 25 is composed of records that associate a user ID 251, a user name 252, and an address or residence 253.

[0029] The user ID 251 is identification information for identifying a user who can use the system 100, and specifies the user who uses the terminal 12. The user name 252 is the name or nickname of the individual or group (corporation) of the user. The address or residence 253 specifies the place where the user who uses the terminal 12 lives. The user ID 251 is newly set when using a service provided by the system 100 for the first time. For example, when using a service provided by the system 100 for the first time, the user name and address or residence input by the user on the terminal 12 are additionally stored in the user name 252 and address or residence 253 corresponding to the new user ID 251. In addition, personal information for each user, such as an email address and a telephone number, may be registered in the user DB 25.

[0030] 2(B), the label DB 26 can store label data in association with a user ID. The label data stored in the label DB 26 may be label data posted from the terminal 12 (hereinafter also referred to as "posted label data"), or may be label data created by a party other than the user, such as a label printer vendor. The label DB 26 is made up of records that associate a label ID 261, a user ID (creator) 262, label data 263, supplemental information 264, a paid content list 265, and a posting date 266.

[0031] The label ID 261 is a serial number sequentially assigned to each piece of label data registered in the label DB 26 in the system 100 of this embodiment. The user ID (creator) 262 is the user ID 251 of the user who posted the data using the system 100. The user ID (creator) 262 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 may be left blank.

[0032] The label data 263 is label data stored in the label management server 22. The label data 263 stores information and arrangement of objects included in the label data, and further stores the type and arrangement of the content when a specific content or function is used. The label data may include tape information. The paid content list stores paid content IDs for identifying paid content and functions set in the label data 263. The supplemental information 264 stores information supplemented when the label data is registered in the label management server 22. The paid content list 265 stores paid content IDs for identifying paid content or functions set in the label data 273. The posting date 266 is information indicating the date on which the label data was posted.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2C, the tape DB 27 can store specifications for each tape model number. In this embodiment, the tape DB 27 stores a tape model number 271 in association with a tape width 272, a tape type 273, a tape color 274, a character color 275, and a compatible model 276. The tape model number 271 is information for identifying the type of tape. The tape width 272 is a length in a direction perpendicular to the length of the tape in the direction in which the tape is fed out from the label printer. The tape type 273 is information indicating the paper quality of the tape, and for example, long tape, laminate tape, ribbon, masking tape, and half-cut label are stored. The tape color 274 is the background color of the tape. The character color 275 is the color of the characters printed on the tape. The compatible model 276 stores the model name of the compatible label printer 11. There may be one model name or multiple model names.

[0034] 3, the print log DB 30 can store the print log output by the terminal 12. The print log DB 30 is configured by a record that associates a print log ID 301, a user ID (printer) 302, a label ID 304, area information 305, printer information 306, tape information 307, content information 308, and print date and time 309 as the print log.

[0035] The print log ID 301 is a serial number that is assigned in order to each print log registered in the print log DB 30. The user ID (printer) 302 is the user ID 251 of the user who printed the label with the label printer 11. The label ID 304 stores the label ID that was assigned to the label data printed by the label printer 11.

[0036] Area information 305 is information that indicates the area where printing took place. Printer information 306 is information related to the printer that performed the printing. Tape information 307 is information that indicates the tape used for printing. Content information 308 is information that indicates the type of content included in the printed label data. Printing date and time 309 is information that indicates the year / month / day / time that the label was printed by the label printer 11.

[0037] Next, the operation of the system 100 will be described. Each processing step in this embodiment basically indicates processing by the CPU 221 according to instructions written in programs such as the server program 228. Processing by the CPU 221 also includes hardware control using the API of the OS. In this specification, the operation of each program will be described without a detailed description of the OS. For ease of explanation, the subject of each process may be the terminal 12 or the label management server 22.

[0038] (Posting process) 4(A), the posting process for posting label data to the label management server 22 will be described. Here, an example will be described in which user A (hereinafter referred to as "poster A") posts label data 15A created on terminal 12A. For ease of explanation, the reference characters for the user, terminal, and their components, and label data will be suffixed with the letter "A."

[0039] As shown in the sequence diagram of FIG. 4(A), the poster A starts the client application 13A of the terminal 12A and performs an upload operation on the terminal 12A (A01). For example, the client application 13A, while logged in to the label management server 22, displays a posting screen (not shown) provided by the label management server 22 on the terminal 12A. The poster A selects the label data 15A to be posted on the posting screen (not shown). The poster A inputs supplemental information on the posting screen (not shown). The supplemental information is, for example, a label name, a category, a description of the label data, and an image showing an example of use. When the poster A taps a new posting button on the posting screen (not shown), the label management server 22 accepts an upload instruction (A02). The label management server 22 accepts the user ID of the logged-in user A, the posted label data (hereinafter also referred to as "posted label data") 15A, and the supplemental information input on the posting screen together with the upload instruction. A02 is an example of an "upload reception process".

[0040] Here, label data 15A stores content information indicating the type of content included in label data 15A, tape information received when creating label data 15A, printer information for label printer 11A, and regional information for the region where label printer 11A is used. The content information is, for example, a content ID. The content ID may be a content ID for paid content or a content ID for free content. The tape information is, for example, a tape model number. The printer information is, for example, the model name of label printer 11A. The regional information is, for example, country information.

[0041] The label management server 22 accesses the label DB 26 using the interface 227 and stores the received posted label data 15A (A03). A03 is an example of a "registration process". Specifically, the label management server 22 creates a new label ID as the new label ID 261, and provides a record including the new label ID in the label DB 26. After that, the label management server 22 stores the received user ID 251 of the poster A in the user ID (creator) 262, the received posted label data 15A in the label data 263, the received supplemental information in the supplemental information 264, and the posting date and time in the posting date 266 for the record including the new label ID 261. The label management server 22 also creates a paid content list including the paid content IDs stored in the posted label data 15A, and stores them in the paid content list 265.

[0042] When the storage of the posted label data 15A is completed, the label management server 22 notifies the terminal 12A of "registration complete" (A04). The terminal 12A that receives the notification of "registration complete" displays, for example, a message indicating that the registration of the posted label is complete (A05). This allows the poster A to know that the posting is complete.

[0043] (Download process) The process of downloading submitted label data will be described using FIG. 4(B). Here, an example will be described in which user B (hereinafter "printer B") downloads submitted label data 15A submitted by poster A to terminal 12B. For ease of explanation, the reference characters for users, terminals and their components will be suffixed with the letter "B." Terminal 12B is an example of a "first information processing device." Note that the download target may also be label data registered by a party other than the user, such as a label printer vendor.

[0044] For example, when the client application 13B is started, the terminal 12B displays a home screen (not shown) provided by the client application 13B. The home screen (not shown) includes a server use button for using the label management server 22.

[0045] When the client application 13B receives a server usage instruction by operating the server usage button, as shown in FIG. 5(A), the client application 13B displays a label search screen 200 provided by the label management server 22 on the terminal 12B. On the label search screen, image images or thumbnail images of downloadable label data are displayed. The images are associated with the label IDs of the corresponding label data. For example, as shown in FIG. 4(B), the client application 13B receives the selection of the download target when an image corresponding to the posted label data 15A is tapped on the label search screen 200 (B01). In response to the selection of the download target, the label management server 22 provides a download screen (not shown) to the client application 13B and displays it on the terminal 12B (B11).

[0046] The download screen (not shown) includes a download execution button. The client application 13B accepts a download instruction by operating the download execution button (B21), and transmits the download instruction to the label management server 22 (B22). The label management server 22 accesses the label DB 26, and reads out the posted label data 15A from the label DB 26 based on the label ID associated with the image selected in B01 (B23). The label management server 22 transmits the read out posted label data 15A to the terminal 12B (B24).

[0047] The client application 13B of the terminal 12B stores the received posted label data 15A (B25). The processes of B01, B11, and B21 to B25 are an example of a "download process." The process of B24 is an example of a "send process." Note that the printer B may select multiple label data on the label search screen and download them to the terminal 12B.

[0048] (Printing process) The printing process for printing label data will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Here, an example will be described in which printer B edits and prints the downloaded posted label data 15A. For ease of explanation, the reference characters for the user, terminal, and their components will be suffixed with the letter "B."

[0049] For example, when the printer B taps the file button 202 shown in Fig. 5(A), the client application 13B displays a list of label data stored in the terminal 12B on the terminal 12B. When the printer B taps the posted label data 15A included in the list, the client application 13B opens the posted label data 15A and displays the contents of the posted label data 15A on the editing screen. The client application 13B accepts an editing operation of the posted label data 15A on the editing screen (C01).

[0050] When the client application 13B receives a print instruction via the edit screen (C02), it sends the print instruction to the label printer 11B selected at the time of print setting (C03). The edited posted label data 15A is attached to the print instruction. The label printer 11B prints the posted label data 15A (C04) and sends the print result to the client application 13B (C05).

[0051] When the client application 13B receives the print result from the label printer 11B, it determines whether the printing was successful or not based on the print result (D01). If the printing was successful (alt: successful), the client application 13B outputs a print log of the printing to the print log server 23 (D02). D02 is an example of an "output process". The client application 13B may output a print log that it generated, or may obtain and output a print log from the label printer 11B. The print log includes the user ID of the printer B, the label ID of the printed posted label data 15A, and the printing date and time when the posted label data 15A was printed. The printing date and time may be the time when the printing was completed, or may be the time when the print job was input to the printer. The printing date and time may include the day of the week. The printing date and time is an example of "time information". The printing log may include attribute information that indicates the attributes of the printed label data.

[0052] The attribute information is, for example, area information, printer information, tape information, and content information. The area information, printer information, and tape information are, for example, information based on capability information 14B of the label printer 11B stored in the terminal 12B. The capability information 14B is acquired, for example, when the terminal 12B connects to the label printer 11B, when print settings are accepted, when submitted label data 15A is sent to the label printer 11B, and when the print result is received.

[0053] For example, the capability information 14B includes the IP address of the label printer 11B. The IP address includes area information indicating the area. The client application 13B obtains the area information from the IP address and includes it in the print log. The client application 13B includes, for example, the model name of the label printer 11B as printer information in the print log. The client application 13B includes, for example, the tape model number obtained from the tape mounted in the label printer 11B as tape information in the print log. Note that the tape information may be the tape model number stored in the terminal 12B by reading a QR code attached to the tape body or wrapping paper when the tape is purchased. The tape information may be the tape width, tape type, tape color, character color, etc.

[0054] The client application 13B includes, for example, the type of content included in the printed label data in the print log as content information. The content may be, for example, a text font, a pictogram, a graphic, a symbol mark, an image, a frame, or a two-dimensional barcode.

[0055] The print log server 23 registers the print log output from the terminal 12B in the print log DB 30 (D03). Specifically, the print log server 23 generates a new print log ID and stores the new print log ID in the print log ID 301 of the new record. The print log server 23 stores the user ID, label ID, area information, printer information, tape information, content information, and print date and time included in the received print log in the user ID 302, label ID 304, area information 305, printer information 306, tape information 307, content information 308, and print date and time 309 of the new record, respectively.

[0056] When the print log registration is completed, the print log server 23 notifies the terminal 12B of the completion of registration (D04). If the print result received from the label printer 11B is a printing failure (alt: failure), the client application 13B notifies the terminal 12B of an error (D05).

[0057] The print log DB 30 can store print logs output from all the terminals 12 and label printers 11 constituting the system 100, not just the terminal 12B.

[0058] (Cache processing) The cache process executed by the label management server 22 using the server program 228 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0059] When the label management server 22 detects the cache timing to execute the cache process (F01), it requests the print log server 23 to send a print log (F02). The cache process is a process that periodically counts the number of prints within the cache period for each label data, regardless of the proposal request output from the client application 13. The request in F02 includes the cache period.

[0060] The cache timing may be, for example, a preset date such as the beginning or end of the month, or may be when a preset period has elapsed such as three months since the last cache. The cache timing may be set according to the day of the week. Furthermore, the cache timing is not limited to conditions related to date and time, and may be, for example, the timing when it is detected that the number of print logs within a specified period of time has exceeded a specified number.

[0061] The cache period is information that specifies the period that is the object of counting when the cache process is executed. The cache timing and cache period are set by the administrator of the label management server 22. The cache period may be a fixed period, such as from January to March, or a variable period, such as one year from a specified date. It is preferable that the cache period is a long period during which the number of print logs to be counted increases. The cache period may be, for example, a period for each season, a period corresponding to a specific event such as Christmas or an entrance ceremony, or a period divided regardless of season or event, such as every three months or every year.

[0062] When the print log server 23 receives a request output from the label management server 22 (F02), it accesses the print log DB 30, reads out the print log in which the print date and time within the cache period attached to the request is stored in the print date and time 309 (F03), and sends it to the label management server 22 (F04). When the label management server 22 receives the print log using the network IF 225, it counts the number of times each label data has been printed (F05).

[0063] When the label management server 22 has finished counting the number of prints for all acquired print logs, it saves the count results in the memory 222 as cache information 230 (F06). The cache period is associated and stored in the cache information 230. For example, if the cache timing is June 1st, when spring switches to summer, and the cache period is "spring", the label management server 22 acquires the print logs of label data printed between March 1st and May 31st, counts the number of prints for each label ID included in the acquired print logs, and saves the count results as the cache information 230 in association with the cache period "spring".

[0064] (Recommendation display processing) The recommendation display process executed by the label management server 22 using the server program 228 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Here, an example will be described in which the label management server 22 accepts a proposal request from the terminal 12C and proposes label data with a high printing frequency using the terminal 12C. For ease of explanation, the subscript "C" is added to the reference numerals of the user, terminal and their components.

[0065] For example, when a user C (hereinafter referred to as "proposal requester C") operates the server use button 203 to accept a server use instruction (H01), the client application 13C transmits a usage request to the label management server 22 (H02). When the label management server 22 receives the usage request, it provides a label search screen to the client application 13C (H03) and displays it on the terminal 12C (H04). For example, the label search screen 200 shown in FIG. 5(A) includes a popular label display button 211. The popular label display button 211 is an operation object that accepts an instruction to view label data that is frequently printed, that is, popular label data. Note that in this embodiment, the popular label display button 211 is displayed on a screen provided by the label management server 22, but it may be displayed on a screen provided by the client application 13C.

[0066] When the proposal requester C taps the popular label display button 211, the client application 13C accepts the recommendation instruction (H05) and transmits a proposal request to the label management server 22 (H06), as shown in FIG. 8. The proposal request is accompanied by period information that specifies the period to be displayed. In the client application 13C of this embodiment, the default value of the period specified by the period information is set to "within the last 24 hours." In addition, the proposal request is accompanied by the user ID of the proposal requester C.

[0067] As shown in Fig. 8, when the label management server 22 receives a proposal request using the network IF 225 (H06), it judges whether or not there is a cache corresponding to the period information attached to the proposal request (H07). In this embodiment, "within the last 24 hours" is a short period, and no cache information corresponding to it is stored in the memory 222. In this case, the label management server 22 judges that there is no cache corresponding to the period information attached to the proposal request (alt: none), and requests the print log server 23 to send a print log for the same area as the current user (H21). This is because the proposal requester C is likely to use label data that matches the characteristics of the area where he or she lives. H21 is an example of an "acquisition process".

[0068] For example, the label management server 22 accesses the user DB 25 and acquires the address or residence 253 associated with the user ID of the proposal requester C attached to the proposal request. The label management server 22 identifies the area in which the proposal requester C resides based on the acquired address or residence 253. The label management server 22 requests the print log server 23 to transmit a print log, specifying the identified area.

[0069] The print log server 23 accesses the print log DB 30, acquires all print logs for the specified region stored in the region information 305 (H22), and transmits them to the label management server 22 (H23). When the label management server 22 acquires the print logs using the network IF 225, it executes a counting process (H24). The counting process is a process that counts the number of times that printing has been performed within a predetermined period for each label data stored in the label DB 26, based on the print logs.

[0070] For example, as shown in Fig. 9, the CPU 221 of the label management server 22 extracts print logs printed within a predetermined period (S11). The predetermined period is the period specified in the period information. In this example, the predetermined period is "within the last 24 hours." The label management server 22 extracts print logs in which a date and time between the current time and 24 hours ago is stored in the print date and time 309 from the print logs acquired in H23.

[0071] The CPU 221 determines whether an attribute is specified in the proposal request (S12). At this point, no attribute information is attached to the proposal request. In this case, the label management server 22 determines that an attribute is not specified in the proposal request (S12: NO), and counts the number of prints for each label data for the print logs extracted in S11 (S14). For example, the label management server 22 extracts print logs that include the same label ID and counts the number of prints. When the CPU 221 has counted the number of prints for all print logs extracted in S11, it ends the counting process.

[0072] When acquiring the print logs from the print log server 23 in H22, the label management server 22 may specify a period and acquire only the print logs corresponding to the specified region and period. In this case, S11 may be deleted from the procedure in FIG.

[0073] 8, when the counting process in H24 ends, the label management server 22 executes a proposal information generation process to generate proposal information (H31). The proposal information is information for proposing label data that is frequently printed.

[0074] In the proposal information generation process of H31, as shown in Fig. 10(A), the CPU 221 of the label management server 22 sorts the label data in descending order of the number of times of printing (S21). The CPU 221 determines whether or not the number of times to display is set (S22). The number of times to display may be set on the label management server 22 side, or may be set based on an instruction from the client application 13C side. The number of times to display may be set to "1" so that only the label data with the most number of times of printing is proposed, or may be set to "2 or more" so that multiple label data with the most number of times of printing are proposed.

[0075] If the display count is set (S22: YES), the label management server 22 generates proposal information for the top number of label data to be displayed from the label data sorted in S21 (S23). Label data that has been printed only a small number of times and has little basis for being proposed is excluded from the proposal targets, making it easier for the user to select label data.

[0076] On the other hand, if the display count has not been set (S22: NO), the label management server 22 generates proposal information for the label data from the top to the bottom (S25). This allows the proposal requester C to check the label data printed within a specified period.

[0077] Returning to Fig. 8, the label management server 22 sends the proposal information generated in H31 to the client application 13C of the terminal 12C (H32). H31 and H32 are examples of "proposal processing". Based on the received proposal information, the client application 13C displays label data that is frequently printed, i.e., popular, on the terminal 12C (H33).

[0078] For example, the proposal screen 240 shown in FIG. 5(B) displays an image of a label so that the proposal requester C can easily understand the contents of the label data. Label data that has been printed many times tends to have high utility value. Therefore, the proposal screen 240 may display label data with a greater number of prints at the top. In this case, the label data may be displayed in order. The number of downloads of the proposed label data may also be displayed.

[0079] The method of proposing label data is not limited to that shown in FIG. 5(B). For example, an image showing an example of how to use the label may be displayed together with an image for each piece of label data. Also, for example, an example of how to use the label, the label name, the name of the label creator, and the number of downloads may be displayed for each piece of label data. In this case, an image of the label may or may not be displayed.

[0080] The proposal screen 240 is provided with a specification field 241 for specifying a display target. The specification field 241 includes radio buttons 242 for specifying a period to be displayed. The client application 13C of this embodiment can change the period specified in the period information between "within the last 24 hours" and "this season" by using the radio buttons 242 in the specification field 241. Note that the specification field 241 may allow the proposal requester C to specify a period of his / her choice.

[0081] The specification field 241 is provided with a narrowing down condition setting button 243. The narrowing down condition setting button 243 is an operation object that accepts an instruction to set a narrowing down condition other than a period. When the proposal target C taps the narrowing down condition setting button 243 with, for example, "within the last 24 hours" selected, the client application 13C displays a narrowing down setting screen 245 shown in FIG. 5(C) on the terminal 12C. The narrowing down setting screen 245 is provided with an attribute specification field 246, a content specification field 247, an OK button 248, and a cancel button 249. The attribute specification field 246 can accept the specification of an attribute. The content specification field 247 can accept the specification of a content from among the contents that can be set with the specified attribute.

[0082] For example, when the proposal target C inputs tape information in the attribute designation field 246, the tape model number included in the capability information 14C acquired from the label printer 11C is automatically displayed in the content designation field 247. Any one of the label width, tape type, label color, and text color corresponding to the tape model number may be automatically displayed in the content designation field 247. Note that the tape model number corresponding to the model of the label printer 11C may be displayed in a selectable manner in the content designation field 247. When the proposal target C operates the OK button 248, the client application 13C outputs a proposal request to the label management server 22 at H02 in FIG. 8, with attribute information including the specified attribute "tape information" and content type "tape model number" attached.

[0083] 9, the CPU 221 of the label management server 22 determines that an attribute is specified in the proposal request (S12: YES). In this case, the CPU 221 further extracts print logs corresponding to the specified tape model number from the print logs acquired based on the period (within the last 24 hours) specified in the time information in S11 (S13). For example, the CPU 221 extracts print logs in which the specified tape model number is stored in the tape information 307. The processes from S14 onwards are as described above, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0084] According to this, the label management server 22 can cause the terminal 12C to display a proposal screen 270 that displays label data printed with the tape model number specified in the proposal request and during the period specified in the proposal request (within the last 24 hours), as shown in Fig. 5(D). According to this, the label management server 22 can propose, for example, popular label data of a tape owned by the proposal requester C to the proposal requester C via the terminal 12C. Therefore, the proposal requester C can avoid downloading label data of a tape that he or she does not own and experiencing printing failure.

[0085] Furthermore, for example, when the proposal requester C inputs printer information in the attribute specification field 246 in Fig. 5(C), the model name included in the capability information 14C acquired from the label printer 11C is automatically displayed in the content specification field 247. When the proposal target C operates the OK button 248, the client application 13C outputs a proposal request with attribute information including the specified attribute "model information" and content type "model name" attached to the label management server 22 in H02 in Fig. 8. In this case, the label management server 22 extracts the print log in which the specified printer name is stored in the printer information 306 of the print log in S13 in Fig. 9. According to this, the label management server 22 can propose label data that can be printed by the label printer 11C used by the proposal requester C, for example, and can avoid printing failures.

[0086] Also, for example, when the proposal requester C inputs "emoticon" in the attribute specification field 246 in FIG. 5(C), emoticons purchased by the proposal requester C are automatically displayed in a selectable manner in the content specification field 247. For example, when the user DB 25 stores purchase information indicating the type of content and function purchased for each user, the label management server 22 reads out purchase information corresponding to the user ID "aaa3" of the proposal requester C from the user DB 25. The label management server 22 extracts content information of emoticons from the content information included in the read purchase information, and displays it in a selectable manner in the content specification field 247. When the proposal requester C selects, for example, the emoticon "Santa Claus" from the emoticons displayed in the content specification field 247, the label management server 22 extracts the print log in which the specified emoticon of Santa Claus is stored in the content information 308 in S13 of FIG. 9. According to this, the label management server 22 can propose label data including a Santa Claus emoticon that the proposal requester C wants to use, and the proposal requester C can download the proposed label data and immediately use it for editing, printing, and the like.

[0087] Furthermore, suppose that the proposal requester C changes the period set in the period information from "within 24 hours" to "this season" in the specification field 241 of the proposal screen 240 shown in FIG. 5(B). The label management server 22 counts the number of prints for each season and stores the count result in the memory 222 as the cache information 230. If the season corresponding to "this season" is "spring", the label management server 22 reads out the cache information 230 corresponding to "spring" from the memory 222 in H03 of FIG. 8 (alt: yes, H11). The label management server 22 further specifies the region where the proposal target C resides based on the user ID of the proposal requester C, and extracts the print log in which the specified region is stored in the region information 305 (H12). The method of specifying the region was explained in H21, so the explanation will be omitted here. After that, the label management server 22 executes the proposal information generation process (H31). The process from H31 onwards has been explained above, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0088] When the period to be displayed is long, such as a season, there will be a large number of print logs, and it will take time for the label management server 22 to count the number of prints for each label data. However, as in this embodiment, if the label management server 22 counts the number of prints for each season at a timing unrelated to a proposal request, caches the count results as cache information 230, and uses the cache when a proposal request is made, then the label data to be proposed can be extracted quickly.

[0089] As described above, the label management server 22 equipped with the server program 228 of this embodiment counts the number of times each label data is printed within a predetermined period, i.e., within the period specified by the period information, based on the print log received from the terminal 12B that caused the label printer 11B to print the label data. When a proposal request is received from the terminal 12C, the label management server 22 proposes label data with a high print frequency based on the number of times each label data is printed. This allows the label management server 22 to propose label data with a high print frequency in the predetermined period to the proposal requester C via the terminal 12C. Therefore, the proposal requester C who made the proposal request can recognize label data that is printed frequently by other users, i.e., that tends to have high utility value, and can easily select such label data. Therefore, the server program 228 of this embodiment makes it easy for users to select label data to be downloaded in the system 100 that aims to utilize label data.

[0090] It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples and do not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the technology disclosed in this specification can be naturally improved and modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention. In the above embodiment, the printing frequency is determined based on the number of prints itself, but if the printing has been performed recently, the printing frequency may be determined by weighting the number of prints.

[0091] The proposal request may be output from the client application 13C at a timing different from the operation of the popular label display button 211. For example, the client application 13C may output a proposal request when an image displayed on the label search screen 200 shown in FIG. 5(A) is tapped and an instruction to view specific label data is received. In this way, the label management server 22 can propose label data in conjunction with the display of a template. For example, the client application 13C may automatically send a proposal request when the operation of the server use button 203 is received. In this case, the label search screen 200 may not have the popular label display button 211. In this way, the label management server 22 can automatically propose label data on the label search screen 200. In addition, the user can check label data that is frequently printed with fewer operations, making it easier to select the label data to be downloaded.

[0092] The predetermined period in S11 of Fig. 9 may be fixed. For example, the specification field 241 of the proposal screen 240 may not have an item for specifying the period.

[0093] Instead of S22, S23, and S25 shown in FIG. 10A, the proposed information generation process may generate proposed information for label data that has been printed more than a predetermined number of times (S31) as shown in FIG. 10B. By proposing all label data that has been printed more than a predetermined number of times in this way, the user has more freedom to choose, while label data that has been printed less is not proposed, which increases the reliability of the proposal. The predetermined number may be a fixed value or a variable value. If it is a variable value, it may be set by the administrator or may be changed according to the total number of prints. For example, if the total number is less than 100 times, the predetermined number is 10, but if it is less than 1000 times, the predetermined number may be 100. However, the more frequently the prints are made, the more useful the label data tends to be. Therefore, by proposing a predetermined number of label data in descending order of the number of prints, the user can easily select label data with high usefulness. Since the number of proposed label data is within a predetermined number, it is unlikely that a problem will occur in which the number of proposed label data is too large and it is difficult to select.

[0094] The proposal request output by the client application 13C does not need to include attribute information. However, if attribute information is included in the proposal request, the label management server 22 can limit the proposal targets not only by period but also by attributes, so that label data that is more suited to the user's purpose can be proposed. The attribute information may be information different from the area information, printer information, tape information, and content information. Attribute information specifying multiple attributes may be included in the proposal request.

[0095] The period to be displayed may be arbitrarily specified in the specification field 241 of the proposal screen 240 shown in Fig. 5(B). This allows the label management server 22 to propose label data that is more suited to the user's purpose. The specified period may be a period going back from the present time, such as the past week or the past year, or a specific period, such as weekends, weekdays, summer, or winter. This allows the label management server 22 to propose label data that is more suited to the user's purpose.

[0096] The cache process in Fig. 7 does not have to be performed. Also, H03, H11, and H12 in Fig. 8 may be omitted. However, if the period to be counted is long, the label management server 22 can extract the proposed label data at an early stage by acquiring the cache information 230.

[0097] The label management server 22 may count only the submitted label data. This allows the label management server 22 to suggest submitted label data that are frequently printed, and promotes the use of submitted label data.

[0098] The label management server 22 may be composed of a front-end server with a web server function, and a back-end server with a function other than the web server function. For example, the front-end server may use the web server function to receive download requests and proposal requests and send label data and proposal information, while the back-end server may obtain print logs and count the number of prints.

[0099] In addition to the print log output by the terminal 12, the print log DB 30 may also store the print log output by the label printer 11 if the label printer 11 has a function for outputting a print log.

[0100] In any sequence diagram disclosed in the embodiment, 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.

[0101] The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by hardware such as a single CPU, multiple CPUs, ASIC, or a combination thereof. 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]

[0102] 11. Label Printer 12 Terminal 21 Internet connection 22 Label Management Server 25 User DB 26 Label DB 100 Label Data Sharing System 221 CPU 228 Server Programs

Claims

1. A program executable by a server computer, the server being capable of accessing a label database, and capable of registering label data in the label database in association with a label ID for identifying the label data, The computer includes: executes a transmission process for transmitting the specified label data to the first information processing device in association with the corresponding label ID when a download request specifying one of the label data registered in the label database is received from the first information processing device; The computer further comprises: an acquisition process for acquiring a print log can be executed, the print log being output from the first information processing device when the first information processing device causes a label printer to perform printing based on the label data received from the server, the print log including the label ID corresponding to the printed label data and time information; The computer further comprises: It is possible to execute a counting process for counting the number of times that printing has been performed within a predetermined period for each of the label data registered in the label database based on the print log acquired in the acquisition process, The computer further comprises: executing a proposal process for proposing label data that is printed frequently based on the number of times each of the label data is printed counted in the count process when a proposal request is received from the second information processing device; A program that is structured as follows.

2. The program according to claim 1, In the proposal process, extracting a predetermined number of the label data in descending order of the number of times each of the label data has been printed in the counting process, and proposing the extracted label data; A program that is structured as follows.

3. The program according to claim 1, In the proposal process, extracting the label data that has been printed more than a predetermined number of times based on the number of times of printing for each label data counted in the counting process, and proposing the extracted label data; A program that is structured as follows.

4. The program according to claim 1, The print log includes attribute information indicating an attribute, The computer includes: When the proposal request in which an attribute is specified is received from the second information processing device, a counting process for counting the number of times that printing has been performed with the specified attributes within the predetermined period for each of the label data registered in the label database based on the print log acquired in the acquisition process; a suggestion process for suggesting label data that is printed frequently based on the number of times each label data is printed, which is counted according to the specified attribute in the count process; and Execute the A program that is structured as follows.

5. The program according to claim 4, the attribute information is regional information indicating a region where the information was printed; In the counting process, when the proposal request in which a region is specified as the attribute is received from the second information processing device, counting the number of times printing is performed in the specified region within the predetermined period for each of the label data registered in the label database based on the print log acquired in the acquisition process; A program that is structured as follows.

6. The program according to claim 4, The attribute information is printer information indicating the type of the label printer that printed the label, In the counting process, when the proposal request in which a printer type is specified as the attribute is received from the second information processing device, counting the number of times printing is performed by the specified printer type within the predetermined period for each of the label data registered in the label database based on the print log acquired in the acquisition process; A program that is structured as follows.

7. The program according to claim 4, The attribute information is tape information indicating the type of the printed tape, In the counting process, when the proposal request in which a tape type is specified as the attribute is received from the second information processing device, counting the number of times printing is performed with the specified tape type within the predetermined period for each of the label data registered in the label database based on the print log acquired in the acquisition process; A program that is structured as follows.

8. The program according to claim 4, the attribute information is content information that indicates the type of content included in the printed label data, In the counting process, when the proposal request in which a content type is specified as the attribute is received from the second information processing device, counting the number of times that printing has been performed within the predetermined period for each of the label data including the specified content type among the label data registered in the label database, based on the print log acquired in the acquisition process; A program that is structured as follows.

9. The program according to claim 1, The computer includes: When the proposal request with a period specified is received from the second information processing device, a counting process for counting the number of times that printing has been performed within the specified period for each of the label data registered in the label database based on the print log acquired in the acquisition process; and a suggestion process for suggesting label data that is printed frequently based on the number of times each label data is printed according to the specified period in the count process; Execute the A program that is structured as follows.

10. The program according to claim 1, The computer includes: execute a cache process for storing the number of times each of the label data items is printed, which is counted in the count process, in a memory of the server; Further, the computer of the server When a proposal request is received from the second information processing device, if the memory has stored therein the number of times each of the label data is printed, the proposal process reads the number of times each of the label data is printed from the memory, and proposes the label data that is printed frequently based on the number of times each of the label data is printed that has been read; if the memory has not stored therein the number of times each of the label data is printed, the counting process is executed, and the proposal process proposes the label data that is printed frequently based on the number of times each of the label data is printed that has been counted in the counting process executed in response to the proposal request. A program that is structured as follows.

11. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 10, The computer includes: an upload reception process can be executed to receive an instruction to upload label data from the third information processing device; The computer further comprises: When the upload instruction is accepted in the upload acceptance process, a registration process is executed to receive posted label data which is the label data uploaded from the third information processing device, associate the received posted label data with the label ID assigned to the posted label data, and register the associated data in the label database, In the transmission process, When the download request in which the post label data is specified is received from the first information processing device, the post label data is transmitted to the first information processing device. A program that is structured as follows.

12. A server connectable to a first information processing device and a second information processing device via a network, The server, A label database is accessible, and label data and a label ID for identifying the label data can be registered in the label database in association with each other; The server further comprises: executes a transmission process for transmitting the specified label data to the first information processing device in association with the corresponding label ID when a download request specifying one of the label data registered in the label database is received from the first information processing device; The server further comprises: a process for acquiring a print log is executed, the print log being output from the first information processing device when the first information processing device causes a label printer to perform printing based on the label data received from the server, and the print log includes the label ID corresponding to the printed label data and time information, The server further comprises: a counting process can be executed to count the number of times each label data item registered in the label database has been printed within a predetermined period of time based on the print log acquired in the acquisition process, The server further comprises: executing a proposal process for proposing label data that is printed frequently based on the number of times each of the label data is printed counted in the count process when a proposal request is received from the second information processing device; It is configured as follows.

13. 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, A label database is accessible, and label data and a label ID for identifying the label data can be registered in the label database in association with each other; The first information processing device, execute a download process for designating one of the label data registered in the label database, and downloading the designated label data from the server in association with the corresponding label ID; The first information processing device further comprises: when the first information processing device causes a label printer to perform printing based on the label data received from the server, an output process is executed to output a print log to the server, the print log includes the label ID corresponding to the printed label data and time information, The server, A counting process can be executed based on the print log to count the number of times each label data item registered in the label database has been printed within a predetermined period of time, The server further comprises: executing a proposal process for proposing label data that is printed frequently based on the number of times each of the label data is printed counted in the count process when a proposal request is received from the second information processing device; A label data sharing system configured to:

Images