Program, server, and system

The program enhances the utilization of label data by registering and presenting it with replaced content, addressing the lack of promotion in existing systems and facilitating wider adoption and sharing of label data.

JP2025059320APending Publication Date: 2025-04-10BROTHER KOGYO KK
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2023169351
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-09-29
Publication Date
2025-04-10

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing systems for utilizing label data do not effectively promote the use of content, lacking mechanisms to encourage widespread adoption and utilization of label data by multiple users.

Method used

A program executed by a server that connects multiple information processing devices via a network, allowing for the registration of label data and content, and facilitating the upload, association with user IDs, and presentation of label data with replaced content to enhance user imagination and content download facilitation.

Benefits of technology

The solution promotes the use of content by making it easier for users to visualize and access label data, thereby increasing its utilization and sharing among users.

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Abstract

To provide a technique for facilitating the use of content, in a system utilizing label data.SOLUTION: A server program 23 is configured to: cause a server 22 to register, on receipt of an instruction to upload label data from one of terminals 12, the label data on a label DB 25 in association with a user ID of a user who issued the upload instruction; cause the server 22 to extract, on receipt of a selection of content registered on a content DB 26, label data which uses content which can be replaced by the selected content, the label data being associated with a user ID of a user who selected the content, out of label data registered on the label DB 25, and present label data for which replaced content with the extracted label data has been replaced by the selected content; and cause the terminal 12 to transmit the selected content when receiving an instruction to download the selected content.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a program, a server, and a 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 combined with various contents, and users can create a wide variety of label data by using the contents. In order to utilize the label data in such a system, it is desirable for many users to utilize the contents available in the label data. Patent Document 1 does not include any description regarding the promotion of content utilization, 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 that can be connected to a plurality of information processing devices via a network, the server having access to a label database in which a plurality of label data can be registered and a content database in which a plurality of contents can be registered, the label data being data that can be printed by a label printer, the content being usable by the label data, the computer, when receiving an instruction to upload label data from one of the plurality of information processing devices, executes a registration process that associates the uploaded label data with a user ID of a user who input the instruction to upload, and registers the associated data in the label database, and further causes the computer to receive from one of the plurality of information processing devices one of the contents registered in the content database. and a first presentation process for presenting, to the information processing device which selected the selected content, label data in which the replacement content included in the label data extracted in the first extraction process has been replaced with the selected content, and further, when an instruction to download the selected content is received from the information processing device which selected the selected content, the computer is configured to execute a content transmission process for transmitting the selected content to the information processing device which selected the selected content.

[0007] According to the program disclosed in this specification, the server registers label data uploaded from one of the information processing devices in the label database in association with the user ID of the user who instructed the upload. Then, when the server accepts a selection of content from one of the information processing devices, it extracts, from the label data registered in the label database, label data associated with the user ID of the user who selected the content, i.e., label data uploaded by the user who selected the content, which uses replacement content that can be substituted for the selected content. The server further presents label data in which the replacement content has been replaced with the selected content to the information processing device that selected the content. This makes it easier for the user to imagine how the content will be used, and promotes downloading of the content.

[0008] An information processing device in which the program is incorporated, a system including the information processing device, a control method for realizing the functions of the program, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the program are also novel and useful. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, a technology is realized that promotes the use of content in a system that aims to utilize label data. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a server usage procedure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of label information. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a content acquisition procedure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a content acquisition screen. [Figure 6]13 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a sample preparation process. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of content information. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which content is replaced. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a decision screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given of an embodiment of a label data sharing system with reference to the accompanying drawings. This specification 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] As shown in Fig. 1, a label data sharing system 100 (hereinafter referred to as "system 100") according to this embodiment is a system provided to a user by, for example, a vendor of a label printer 11. The system 100 includes a plurality of terminals 12 and a server 22, which are connected via an internet line 21. Each terminal 12 is connectable to at least one label printer 11. The internet line 21 is an example of a network.

[0013] The terminal 12 includes a user interface (hereinafter, referred to as "user IF") 123 having a display function and an operation receiving function, and a communication function with an external device such as the server 22. The terminal 12 is an example of an information processing device. The terminal 12 may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet computer, or may be a personal computer.

[0014] A client application program (hereinafter referred to as a "client application") 13 is installed in each terminal 12. Each terminal 12 is also capable of storing label data 14. The label data 14 is data that can be printed by the label printer 11, and is data that can be created using the client application 13.

[0015] The client application 13 is an application program provided by the vendor of the label printer 11. The client application 13 has various functions, such as a function to cause the terminal 12 to create and edit label data 14 based on instructions from a user, a function to cause the terminal 12 to store the created label data 14, and a function to send the created label data 14 to the label printer 11 to print it.

[0016] The label printer 11 is, for example, a printing device that includes a thermal transfer print head and prints on a roll of label paper while unwinding it. For example, the label printer 11 prints images on the stored label paper and transports the label paper based on label data received from the terminal 12, and can cause the printed portion to protrude outside the machine. The label printer 11 can communicate with the terminal 12 via wireless LAN communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The label printer 11 may also be able to communicate with the terminal 12 via wired communication based on the USB standard.

[0017] The server 22 is a device having at least a storage function and a communication function. As shown in Fig. 1, the server 22 has a controller 220 including a CPU 221 and a memory 222. The CPU 221 is an example of a computer. The server 22 also has a communication interface (hereinafter, referred to as "communication IF") 224, and is connectable to the Internet line 21 via the communication IF 224. The server 22 may further have a user interface.

[0018] A server program 23 is embedded in the memory 222 of the server 22. The server program 23 is an example of a program executable by the CPU 221 of the server 22. The server 22 can also access a user database (hereinafter referred to as "user DB") 24, a label database (hereinafter referred to as "label DB") 25, and a content database (hereinafter referred to as "content DB") 26. The user DB 24 is a database that stores user information indicating users of the system 100. The label DB 25 is a database in which label data can be registered. The content DB 26 is a database in which multiple content data provided to each user by the vendor of the label printer 11 can be registered.

[0019] Content indicates the contents of a label or object, and examples thereof include clip art, fonts, emojis, stamps, images, and frames. Content data is data that includes content and is usable for generating and editing label data. Content data may be data that can be included in an object and used as the contents of the object, or may be functions or materials that can be used for generating label data. Objects are objects that are placed on a label to make up the label, and examples thereof include text objects, image objects, and clip art objects. There may be content data that can be used as an object.

[0020] Note that the various content data stored in the content DB 26 is different from the content pre-installed in the client application 13, and a predetermined procedure must be performed by the user in order to use the content data. Specifically, a user who wishes to use the content data stored in the content DB 26 uses the functions of the server 22 to download the desired content data to the terminal 12. This allows the user to use the downloaded content data in the client application 13.

[0021] Next, the procedure for using the functions of the server 22 on the terminal 12 will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of Fig. 2. The procedures and processing steps of each program described below basically indicate processing by the CPU of the terminal 12 or the server 22 according to the instructions written in each program. Processing by each CPU also includes hardware control using the API of the OS. In this specification, the operation of each program will be described without describing the OS.

[0022] In the system 100 of this embodiment, the user first starts the client application 13 on the terminal 12 (A01). The client application 13 displays a home screen, which is the screen displayed at startup, on the user IF 123 of the terminal 12 (A02). The client application 13 can accept various selection operations by the user on the home screen. On the home screen, the user can select, for example, creating or editing label data to be printed, selecting or printing created label data, and connecting to the server 22.

[0023] For example, when a connection instruction to the server 22 is received by a user's operation on the user IF 123 (A03), the client application 13 transmits the connection instruction to the server 22 (A04). When the server program 23 of the server 22 receives the connection instruction from the client application 13, the server program 23 transmits screen data of the top screen of the server program 23 to the client application 13 (A06). Based on the screen data transmitted from the server 22, the client application 13 displays the top screen on the user IF 123 (A07). Note that the client application 13 may itself have a function as a browser, or may start a browser to display the screen.

[0024] The top screen is a screen that accepts user selection instructions for various functions to be executed by the server 22. When the client application 13 of the terminal 12 accepts a user operation on the displayed top screen (A11), it transmits information indicating the accepted operation to the server 22 (A12). This allows the server program 23 of the server 22 to obtain information indicating the user operation. The server 22 can accept instructions from the user's operation, such as logging in, uploading label data, downloading label data, and obtaining content data.

[0025] For example, when a login instruction is received as the user's operation in A11 (alt:[login]), the server program 23 acquires information indicating the login instruction in A12 and transmits a login screen to the client application 13 (A21). The client application 13 displays the login screen on the user IF 123, receives login information input by the user (A22), and transmits the received login information to the server 22 (A23). The login information includes, for example, a user ID and a password. The server program 23 performs login authentication based on the login information transmitted from the terminal 12 and the user information registered in the user DB 24 (A24).

[0026] Also, for example, when an upload instruction to upload the label data 14 stored in the terminal 12 to the server 22 is received as the user's operation in A11 (alt:[upload]), the client application 13 receives the selection of the label data 14 to be uploaded by the user's operation (A31). By using the system 100, the user of the terminal 12 can upload the label data 14 created using the client application 13 to the server 22 and share it with other users.

[0027] Note that, for example, when the server program 23 acquires upload instruction information from the client application 13, if the user has not yet logged in, the server program 23 first requests the user to log in. The server program 23 may be able to accept an upload instruction if the login authentication is successful.

[0028] Then, the client application 13 transmits the label data 14 selected by the user to the server 22 (A32). The server program 23 registers the label data transmitted from the client application 13 in the label DB 25, associating it with the user ID of the user who input the upload instruction (A33). A33 is an example of a registration process. The server program 23 assigns a label ID to each piece of uploaded label data, associates the label ID, and registers the label data in the label DB 25.

[0029] The server program 23 also stores information associated with each label data as label information 40, for example, as shown in Fig. 3. The label information 40 includes, for example, a label ID 401, a user ID 402, a posting date 403, tape information 404, and a label category 405. The label category 405 is an example of label category information. The server program 23 updates and stores the label information 40 in response to the uploading of label data.

[0030] Label ID 401 is information that identifies each label data. User ID 402 is a user ID that indicates the user who uploaded the label data. Posting date 403 is information that indicates the date that the label data was uploaded. Tape information 404 is information that indicates a tape suitable for printing the label data. Label category 405 is information that indicates a category assigned to the label data. Each piece of information included in label information 40 may be information obtained or created by server program 23, or may be information provided by the user at the time of uploading.

[0031] 2, for example, a download instruction to download label data registered in the label DB 25 to the terminal 12 may be accepted as a user operation at A11. When a download instruction is accepted, the client application 13 transmits the information to the server 22. The server program 23, for example, accepts a selection of label data to be downloaded, reads out the label data registered in the label DB 25, and transmits it to the terminal 12. Note that the server program 23 may be able to accept a setting as to whether or not to permit downloading by other users when uploading label data.

[0032] The server program 23 can receive a content acquisition instruction, which is an instruction to download content registered in the content DB 26 to the terminal 12, as the selection operation of A11. When a content acquisition instruction is received (alt:[content acquisition]), the system 100 executes a content acquisition procedure (A41). The content acquisition procedure will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG.

[0033] When the server program 23 receives a content acquisition instruction, it transmits screen data of a content acquisition screen for providing the content to the terminal 12 (B01). The terminal 12 displays the content acquisition screen on the user IF 123 via the client application 13 (B02).

[0034] The content acquisition screen is a screen that accepts the selection of the content to be acquired. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, the server program 23 displays one available content 60 registered in the content DB 26 on the content acquisition screen, and changes and displays the content to be displayed in response to a user operation. For example, the user can display the next content by swiping the displayed content.

[0035] In addition, the server program 23 can receive an instruction to select a content to be acquired based on a user's operation on the displayed content acquisition screen. For example, the user can select a displayed content as an acquisition target by tapping the content.

[0036] In addition, not only individual contents but also a content group consisting of a plurality of contents may be registered in the content DB 26. For example, a content group including a plurality of similar clip arts may be registered in the content DB 26. In that case, for example, one piece of content representative of the content group is displayed on the content acquisition screen, and the user can select the content group as an acquisition target by tapping the displayed content.

[0037] When the user taps on the displayed content to perform a selection operation to select the content to be acquired (B03), the client application 13 transmits information indicating the selection operation by the user to the server 22 (B04). Note that, for example, when the server program 23 acquires the information on the content selection operation from the client application 13, if the user has not logged in, the server program 23 first requests the user to log in. The server program 23 acquires the information indicating the content selection operation in association with the user ID of the user who performed the operation.

[0038] In response to receiving the selection operation, the server program 23 reads (B11) the label data associated with the user ID of the user who performed the operation from the label DB 25. The label data associated with the user ID of the user is the label data previously uploaded in response to the above-mentioned upload instruction.

[0039] If the label data can be read, the server program 23 executes a sample creation process (B12). The procedure of the sample creation process will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 6. The sample creation process is a process for creating label data of a sample including the selected content. This sample creation process is executed by the CPU 221 of the server 22 based on the description of the server program 23.

[0040] First, the CPU 221 acquires information on selected content, which is the content selected based on information received from the client application 13 in B04 of the content acquisition procedure (FIG. 4) (C01). A content ID is assigned to each piece of content registered in the content DB 26. The server 22 stores various pieces of information in association with each piece of content data as content information 50, for example, as shown in FIG. 7. The content information 50 includes, for example, a content ID 501, a content type 502, a content category 503, and a type 504 of an object that can use the content. The category 503 is an example of content category information.

[0041] The content ID 501 is information for identifying each piece of content data. The content type 502 is information indicating whether the content data is, for example, clip art, font, pictogram, stamp, image, or frame. The content type 502 may include information indicating whether the content data is an object or not. The content category 503 is information indicating a category of a scene in which the content is used, and is assigned by the creator of the content data, etc. The type of object 504 that can use the content is information corresponding to the type of content, and is set as necessary.

[0042] The CPU 221 compares the information of the selected content acquired in C01 with information of each label data to be processed (for example, each label data read from the label DB 25 in B11 of the content acquisition procedure (FIG. 4)). Then, the CPU 221 determines whether or not there is label data including the same type of content as the selected content among the label data to be processed (C02).

[0043] If it is determined that there is such a content (C02: YES), the CPU 221 extracts the label data of the same type as the selected content included in the corresponding label data as replacement content (C11). For example, if the type of the selected content is clip art and the label data to be processed includes label data including clip art, the CPU 221 extracts the label data including clip art in C11. C11, in which label data is extracted from label data read out from the label DB 25, is an example of a first extraction process.

[0044] If multiple pieces of label data including replacement content of the same type as the selected content are extracted, that is, if there are multiple pieces of label data for which YES has been determined in C02, the CPU 221 may determine which label data to extract based on the category of the label data. Specifically, the CPU 221 preferentially extracts label data registered in association with a label category 405 (FIG. 3) similar to the category 503 (FIG. 7) of the selected content (C10).

[0045] For example, if the selected content is a clip art in the "vehicle" category, and the label data for which YES is determined in C02 are label data in the label category of "kitchen" and label data in the label category of "travel", the CPU 221 may preferentially extract the label data of "travel" in C11. The similarity relationship between categories may be defined in advance in the server program 23, or may be acquired by inquiring of another server or the like.

[0046] Furthermore, when multiple label data can be extracted, the condition for determining which label data to extract preferentially from them is not limited to the label category, and may be, for example, the size of the content or tape information. For example, the CPU 221 may give priority to label data in which the size of the replacement content is close to the size of the selected content. For example, the CPU 221 may give priority to label data in which a tape suitable for the selected content can be used.

[0047] Then, the CPU 221 creates label data by replacing the replacement content of the label data extracted in C11 with the selected content (C12). For example, as shown in Fig. 8, the CPU 221 creates label data 62 by replacing the clip art 611 of the extracted label data 61 with clip art 621, which is the selected content. Note that the label data 62 created in the sample creation process is transmitted to the terminal 12 in a later procedure and presented to the user as an example of how to use the selected content.

[0048] That is, label data is created in which the selected content is replaced with a replacement content of the same type as the selected content, and is presented to the user in a later procedure. For example, if the type of the selected content is a frame, and label data including a frame is included in the label data to be processed, the CPU 221 extracts the label data including the frame in C11, and creates label data in which the frame is replaced with the frame of the selected content in C12. This makes it easier for the user to imagine how the content will be used. Furthermore, the CPU 221 preferentially extracts label data belonging to a category similar to the category of the selected content in C10 to create label data for presentation, which makes it easier for the user to imagine how the content will be used.

[0049] Furthermore, when the selected content is a content group including multiple contents, the CPU 221 replaces the replacement content with one of the contents included in the content group. Furthermore, the CPU 221 may create multiple label data in which the replacement content of one label data is replaced with multiple contents included in the content group, respectively. Furthermore, when multiple label data including replacement content are extracted, the CPU 221 may create multiple label data in which the replacement content of each label data is replaced with each of the contents included in the content group, respectively. When a content group consisting of multiple contents is selected, label data in which the replacement content is replaced with one of the contents that make up the content group is presented, so that even when a content group is selected, the usage form of each content can be presented.

[0050] On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no label data including the same type of content as the selected content (C02: NO), the CPU 221 determines whether there is label data including an object that can be substituted for the selected content (C03). If it is determined that there is label data including a replacement object that can be substituted for the selected content (C03: YES), the CPU 221 extracts label data including the replacement object (C11). C11 in this case is an example of a third extraction process.

[0051] Then, the CPU 221 creates label data in which the replacement object in the extracted label data is replaced with an object including the selected content (C12). For example, if the selected content is clip art and the label data to be processed does not include label data including clip art, but does include label data including an image object that can be replaced with the clip art, the CPU 221 extracts that label data in C11, and creates label data in C12 in which the image object is replaced with an object including clip art.

[0052] Also, for example, if the selected content is a font, the CPU 221 extracts label data including a text object in C11, and creates label data in C12 in which the text object is replaced with a text object including text using the font of the selected content as a replacement object.

[0053] If label data including the same type of content as the selected content cannot be extracted from the label data uploaded by the user, an attempt is made to extract label data including a replacement object, which increases the chances of presenting label data with the replaced content.Then, the server program 23 presents label data in which the replacement object is replaced with an object including the selected content, which makes it easier for the user to imagine how the selected content will be used.

[0054] If it is determined that there is no label data including a replacement object that can replace the selected content (C03: NO), the CPU 221 determines whether there is label data to which an additional object, which is an object including the selected content, can be added at the beginning or end of the label (C04). If it is determined that there is label data to which an additional object can be added (C04: YES), the CPU 221 extracts the addable label data (C13). C13 is an example of a fourth extraction process.

[0055] Then, the CPU 221 creates label data by adding an additional object to the beginning or end of the extracted label data (C14). For example, if there is label data that has a margin at the beginning or end where an additional object can be placed, the CPU 221 creates label data by adding an additional object to the margin in C14. Also, for example, the CPU 221 may determine the label data to be extracted in C13, taking into account the size and color of the additional object.

[0056] Also, for example, the CPU 221 may extract label data with a simple structure, such as label data that does not include a frame, and add a margin to the label data to enable the addition of an additional object. If label data that allows replacement of content or objects cannot be extracted, adding an object including the selected content to the label data and presenting that label data increases the opportunities to present label data that uses the selected content.

[0057] If it is determined that there is no label data to which an additional object can be added (C04: NO), the CPU 221 determines that the additional object cannot be created (C21). After any of C12, C14, and C21, the CPU 221 ends the sample creation process and returns to the content acquisition procedure of FIG.

[0058] Returning to the description of the content acquisition procedure in Fig. 4, after the sample creation process in B12, the server program 23 judges whether or not label data for presentation has been created in the sample creation process. If it is determined in C21 of the sample creation process (Fig. 6) that creation is not possible, label data for presentation incorporating the selected content has not been created. Also, for example, in the case of a user who has never uploaded label data in the past, label data associated with the user ID of that user is not registered in the label DB 25. If the corresponding label data cannot be read from the label DB 25, the server program 23 also cannot create label data for presentation.

[0059] If the label data for presentation cannot be created (opt: [cannot be created]), the server program 23 requests the client application 13 to send the label data (B21). In response to the request from the server program 23, the client application 13 reads the label data 14 stored in the terminal 12 (B22) and sends the read label data 14 to the server program 23 (B23). In this way, the server program 23 acquires the label data 14 stored in the terminal 12. B23 is an example of an acquisition process.

[0060] Then, the server program 23 executes a sample preparation process (B24) for the label data 14 acquired in B23. The sample preparation process in B24 is the same as the sample preparation process in B12. C11 of the sample preparation process executed in B24 is an example of a second extraction process.

[0061] If label data 14 stored in terminal 12 is obtained and label data in which the content included in label data 14 is replaced with selected content is presented, the user can easily imagine how the content will be used. In particular, if the user who selected the content has not uploaded label data, executing B21 to B24 increases the opportunities to present label data in which the content has been replaced.

[0062] If the label data 14 cannot be obtained from the client application 13 or if the sample creation process of B24 fails to create the label data, the server program 23 selects the sample data as the label data to be presented (B25). The sample data is label data that includes examples of how the content can be used for each piece of content provided in the content DB 26. For example, the sample data is created for each piece of content that can be provided by the vendor of the label printer 11, and is stored in the content DB 26 in association with the content ID.

[0063] The server program 23 generates screen data for a decision screen including, as usage example data, the label data created in the sample creation process of B12 or the sample creation process of B24, or the sample data selected in B25 (B31).Then, the server program 23 transmits the generated screen data to the terminal 12 (B32), and causes the user IF 123 of the terminal 12 to display the decision screen via the client application 13 (B33).

[0064] The decision screen includes, for example, a use example 71 of the selected content and a decision button 72, as shown in Fig. 9. The use example 71 is a label image displayed based on the label data created in the sample creation process of B12 or the sample creation process of B24, or the sample data selected in B25. For example, as shown in Fig. 9, the label data 62 (Fig. 8) created in the sample creation process executed in B12 is presented to the user as the use example 71.

[0065] The determination screen may further display information such as conditions for acquiring the content. The content may be acquired for a fee or free of charge, or may be acquired in exchange for points that can be acquired by uploading label data or purchasing consumables, for example.

[0066] B33, in the sample creation process of B12 (FIG. 6), when YES is determined in C02 and the label data created in C12 is presented, is an example of a first presentation process. Also, B33, in the sample creation process of B12, when YES is determined in C03 and the label data created in C12 is presented, is an example of a third presentation process. Also, B33, in the sample creation process of B12, when YES is determined in C04 and the label data created in C14 is presented, is an example of a fourth presentation process. Also, B33, in the sample creation process of B24, when YES is determined in C02 and the label data created in C12 is presented, is an example of a second presentation process.

[0067] When the user wishes to acquire the selected content being displayed, the user operates the decision button 72 on the decision screen (B35). The terminal 12 transmits information indicating the operation of the decision button 72, i.e., a download instruction for instructing downloading of the selected content, to the server 22 (B36). In response to receiving the download instruction, the server program 23 transmits content data indicating the selected content to the terminal 12 (B37). B37 is an example of a content transmission process.

[0068] The client application 13 stores the downloaded content data in memory (B38). After that, the client application 13 can use the content data stored in memory when creating or editing label data.

[0069] In response to the content data being transmitted to the terminal 12, the server program 23 registers information indicating the transmitted content data in the user DB in association with the user ID of the user who selected the content (B39). After transmitting the content data, the server program 23 may transmit screen data of the top screen of the server program 23 to the terminal 12, for example, as in A06 of Fig. 2, and may further accept an operation from the user.

[0070] As described above in detail, the server program 23 in this embodiment registers label data uploaded from one of the terminals 12 in the label DB 25 in association with the user ID of the user who instructed the upload. Then, when the server program 23 accepts the selection of content at the terminal 12, it extracts, from the label data registered in the label DB 25, label data associated with the user ID of the user who selected the content, that is, label data uploaded by the user who selected the content, and using replacement content that can be substituted for the selected content. Furthermore, the server program 23 presents to the terminal 12 the label data in which the replacement content of the extracted label data is replaced with the selected content. This makes it easier for the user of the terminal 12 to imagine how the selected content will be used, and promotes downloading of the content.

[0071] It should be noted that the present embodiment is merely an example and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the present invention can be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the printing method of the label printer 11 is not limited to the thermal transfer method, but may be, for example, an inkjet method, an electrophotographic method, or a thermal method. Furthermore, the printing medium is not limited to label paper, but may be, for example, plain roll paper, fanfold paper, or cut paper.

[0072] In addition, the display screens and data configurations of the databases shown in the figures are all examples, and the wording in the figures, the arrangement of each piece of information, the shape of the buttons, and the like are not limited to the examples shown in the figures. In addition, in the embodiment, the content selection operation is a tap on an image displayed on the user IF 123 of the terminal 12, but is not limited to this. It may be a double tap, or there may be a button that accepts the selection operation separately from the image. In addition, in the embodiment, it is possible to select a content group, but the content that can be selected may be only individual content.

[0073] In the sample creation process (FIG. 6) of the embodiment, the replacement content is the same type of content as the selected content, but if there is a content that can be replaced even if it is not the same type, it may be extracted by determining YES in C02. For example, the CPU 221 may determine that emoticons and clip art are replaceable.

[0074] In the sample creation process of the embodiment (FIG. 6), when it is determined that there is label data containing the same type of content as the selected content (YES in C02), the determinations in C03 to C04 are not performed, but they may be performed. In other words, when there is a plurality of label data that can be presented as a sample containing the selected content, the server program 23 may extract all of the label data and present all of them, or may present only a part of them. When presenting a plurality of label data, the server program 23 may present them in the order of registration, or may rearrange them based on popularity, etc.

[0075] Also, the number of label data to be presented may be only one. In other words, when the server program 23 extracts one piece of label data that can generate label data including the selected content by replacement or the like, it may use that label data to create label data for presentation, and may not attempt to extract other label data.

[0076] In addition, the server program 23 includes all of C02 to C04 in the sample creation process (FIG. 6), but it may include only one or two of them. Also, the process of determining the priority order by C10 in the sample creation process may be omitted. The CPU 221 may present all of them in the order in which they were extracted, for example.

[0077] Also, in the embodiment, if there is no label data associated with the user ID in the label DB 25, or if the label data cannot be created in the sample creation process of B12 (FIG. 6), the label data stored in the terminal 12 is acquired, but this is not necessary. That is, B21 to B24 in the content acquisition procedure (FIG. 4) may be omitted. Also, even if label data can be created in the sample creation process of B12, the processes of B21 to B24 and B25 may be executed.

[0078] The server 22 may also be capable of accepting an instruction to download the label data presented as a usage example.

[0079] In addition, in any of the flowcharts disclosed in the embodiments, the order of execution of multiple processes in any of the steps can be arbitrarily changed or the processes can be executed in parallel as long as no contradiction occurs in the process content.

[0080] 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]

[0081] 11. Label Printer 12 Terminal 123 User Interface 21 Internet connection 22 Server 221 CPU 100 Systems

Claims

1. A program executable by a server computer connectable to a plurality of information processing devices via a network, the server having access to a label database in which a plurality of label data items can be registered and a content database in which a plurality of contents items can be registered, the label data items being data that can be printed by a label printer, and the contents items being usable with the label data, The computer includes: when an instruction to upload label data is received from one of the plurality of information processing devices, a registration process is executed in which the uploaded label data is associated with a user ID of a user who input the instruction to upload, and the associated data is registered in the label database; The computer further comprises: When a selection of one of the contents registered in the content database is received from one of the plurality of information processing devices, a first extraction process for extracting, from the label data registered in the label database, the label data associated with a user ID of a user who has selected the content, and the label data using a replacement content that is a content that can be replaced with a selected content that is the selected content; a first presentation process of presenting label data in which the replacement content included in the label data extracted in the first extraction process has been replaced with the selected content to the information processing device that selected the selected content; Run the command, The computer further comprises: when receiving an instruction to download the selected content from the information processing device which has selected the selected content, executing a content transmission process of transmitting the selected content to the information processing device which has selected the selected content; A program that is configured to:

2. The program according to claim 1, The computer includes: When a selection of one of the contents registered in the content database is received from one of the plurality of information processing devices, an acquisition process for acquiring label data stored in the information processing device from which the selected content has been selected; a second extraction process for extracting the label data that uses the replacement content from the label data acquired in the acquisition process; a second presentation process of presenting label data in which the replacement content included in the label data extracted in the second extraction process has been replaced with the selected content to the information processing device that selected the selected content; It is possible to execute A program that is structured as follows.

3. The program according to claim 2, The computer includes: executing the acquisition process, the second extraction process, and the second presentation process when a selection of one of the contents registered in the content database is received from one of the plurality of information processing devices and the label data is not extracted in the first extraction process; A program that is structured as follows.

4. The program according to claim 1, The content registered in the content database is associated with content category information indicating a category of the content, In the first extraction process, extracting, from the label data registered in the label database, the label data associated with a user ID of a user who selected the content and which utilizes the replacement content of the same category as the selected content; A program that is structured as follows.

5. The program according to claim 1, The computer includes: When a selection of one of the contents registered in the content database is received from one of the plurality of information processing devices, a third extraction process for extracting, from the label data registered in the label database, the label data associated with a user ID of a user who has selected the content and including a replacement object that is an object replaceable with the selected content; a third presentation process of presenting label data in which the replacement object included in the label data extracted in the third extraction process is replaced with an object including the selected content to the information processing device that selected the selected content; It is possible to execute A program that is structured as follows.

6. The program according to claim 5, The computer includes: executing the third extraction process and the third presentation process when a selection of one of the contents registered in the content database is received from one of the plurality of information processing devices and the label data is not extracted in the first extraction process; A program that is configured to:

7. The program according to claim 1, The computer includes: When a selection of one of the contents registered in the content database is received from one of the plurality of information processing devices, and the label data is not extracted in the first extraction process, a fourth extraction process for extracting, from the label data registered in the label database, the label data associated with a user ID of a user who has selected the content, and the label data to which an object including the selected content can be added to the beginning or end of a label; a fourth presentation process for presenting, to the information processing device that selected the selected content, label data in which an object including the selected content is added to the beginning or end of a label of the label data extracted in the fourth extraction process; It is possible to execute A program that is configured to:

8. The program according to claim 1, The content registered in the content database is associated with content category information indicating a category of the content, The label data registered in the label database is associated with label category information indicating a label category, A similarity relationship between the content category and the label category is defined; In the first extraction process, extracting, from the label data registered in the label database, the label data associated with a user ID of a user who selected the content, the label data using a replacement content that is a content that can be replaced with a selected content that is the selected content, and the label data associated with the label category information that indicates a category similar to the selected content as a label category; A program that is configured to:

9. The program according to claim 1, The content to be registered in the content database may be a content group consisting of a plurality of contents; In the first presentation process, when the selected content is the content group, the label data in which the replacement content included in the label data extracted in the first extraction process is replaced with one of the contents included in the selected content group is presented to the information processing device that selected the selected content. A program that is configured to:

10. A server that can be connected to a plurality of information processing devices via a network, The server, A label database in which a plurality of label data can be registered and a content database in which a plurality of contents can be registered are accessible, the label data is data that can be printed by a label printer, and the content is usable with the label data, Furthermore, the server executes a registration process, when an instruction to upload label data is received from one of the plurality of information processing devices, for registering the uploaded label data in the label database in association with a user ID of a user who input the instruction to upload the label data; Furthermore, the server When a selection of one of the contents registered in the content database is received from one of the plurality of information processing devices, a first extraction process for extracting, from the label data registered in the label database, the label data associated with a user ID of a user who has selected the content, and the label data using a replacement content that is a content that can be replaced with a selected content that is the selected content; a first presentation process of presenting, to the information processing device that selected the selected content, the label data in which the replacement content included in the label data extracted in the first extraction process has been replaced with the selected content; Run Furthermore, the server executing a content transmission process of transmitting the selected content to the information processing device which has selected the selected content when an instruction to download the selected content is received from the information processing device which has selected the selected content; A server configured to:

11. A system including a plurality of information processing devices and a server, the plurality of information processing devices being connectable to the server via a network, The server, A label database in which a plurality of label data can be registered and a content database in which a plurality of contents can be registered are accessible, the label data is data that can be printed by a label printer, and the content is usable with the label data, The information processing device includes: The user is able to create label data, and is able to upload the created label data to the server in association with a user ID; Furthermore, the server when the label data is uploaded from one of the plurality of information processing devices, the uploaded label data is associated with the user ID associated with the label data, and the associated label data is registered in the label database; The information processing device includes: One of the contents registered in the content database can be selected in association with a user ID; The server, When a selection of one of the contents registered in the content database is received from one of the plurality of information processing devices, extracting, from the label data registered in the label database, the label data associated with a user ID of a user who selected the content and using a replacement content that is a content that can be replaced with a selected content that is the selected content; The information processing device includes: displaying the label data in which the replacement content included in the label data extracted by the server has been replaced with the selected content on a user interface of the information processing device; The server, when receiving an instruction to download the selected content from the information processing device which has selected the selected content, transmitting the selected content to the information processing device which has selected the selected content; The system is configured as follows:

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Point managing method and device storage medium and point managing system

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