Program and server

Abstract

To propose a technique capable of collectively managing a plurality of users in a system promoting use of label data.SOLUTION: A web application 36 of a label management server 3 can generate a group associated with a serial number for identifying a label printer 2B. The web application 36 adds, to the members of the group, user accounts including the same serial number as the serial number in association with the group, of user accounts registered in the label management server 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a program and a server used in a system that utilizes label data. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional system for utilizing content data is known in which a server that stores 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 points 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] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-99746 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In recent years, there have been systems that utilize label data used to print labels with a label printer as content data. In such systems, an account is created for each user to use the system, and for example, benefits available to the system are managed for each account. However, there are also cases where multiple users use a single printer, such as a family, and while managing individual users, it is also desirable to manage multiple users collectively when multiple users use the system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A program made to solve the above-mentioned problems is a program executable by a server, the server being able to access a label database and a user database, the label database being able to register multiple label data, the label data being data that can be printed by a label printer, the user database being able to register multiple user information, the user information being information associated with a user account required for login, and the user information being able to include printer information that identifies the label printer, the program being configured to cause a computer of the server, when receiving a download request from an information processing device with one of the label data registered in the label database being specified, to execute a sending process to send the specified label data to the information processing device, and to further cause the computer of the server to execute a creation process to create a group associated with the printer information, the group being able to include user accounts that share the printer information included in the user information as members.

[0007] A server program configured as described above can create groups associated with printer information identifying label printers. The program can assign user accounts registered on the server that contain the same printer information as the printer information associated with the group as members of the group. This allows the program to manage groups based on multiple users who use the same printer, which can result in, for example, handling benefits granted to each account on a group-by-group basis and making appropriate proposals on a group-by-group basis.

[0008] A server, a system, a control method for realizing the functions of the above program, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program are also novel and useful. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, a technology is realized that can collectively manage multiple users in a system that utilizes label data. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating a label data sharing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user database. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a label database. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a group database. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a printer information saving process. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a posting process. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a paid content purchasing process. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for a download printing process. [Figure 9] 10 is a sequence illustrating an example of a group creation control process. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a group creation process. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen transition. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of another user confirmation process. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a group joining process. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen transition. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a group manual creation process. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a manual group invitation process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An embodiment of a program for sharing label data will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment discloses a program that is installed in a server that can be connected to an information processing device via a network.

[0012] (First embodiment) A label data sharing system 100 (hereinafter referred to as "system 100") of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1 is a system provided by, for example, a label printer vendor. The system 100 comprises a label management server 3 and a terminal 1, and the label management server 3 and terminal 1 are connected via the Internet 9. The terminal 1 can be connected to a label printer 2. The label management server 3 is an example of a "server." The terminal 1 is an example of an "information processing device." The Internet 9 is an example of a "network."

[0013] 1 shows only one terminal 1 that can be connected to the label management server 3, but in reality, many terminals 1 are connected to the label management server 3. The label printer 2 may be connected to multiple terminals. Furthermore, the terminal 1 may be used by multiple users.

[0014] The label printer 2 is a device that has at least a printing function and a communication function. The label printer 2 is connected to the terminal 1 via wireless LAN communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The label printer 2 may also be connected to the terminal 1 via a wired connection using the USB communication standard.

[0015] For example, the tape that can be attached to each label printer 2 is predetermined for each model. When the label printer 2 receives a print job that includes label data, it prints based on the label data while feeding the tape and ejects the printed tape outside the machine. A label of a specified size is formed using the ejected tape.

[0016] The terminal 1 is an information processing device used by the owner or user (hereinafter referred to as "user") of the label printer 2. The terminal 1 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer (PC). The terminal 1 has a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12. The terminal 1 has a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 14, which are connected to the controller 10.

[0017] The label management server 3 is a server provided by the vendor of the label printer 2. The label management server 3 of this embodiment comprises a controller 30 including a CPU 31 and a memory 32. The CPU 31 is an example of a "computer." The label management server 3 comprises a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 33, a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 34, and an interface 35, which are connected to the controller 30.

[0018] Note that the controllers 10 and 30 in Figure 1 are general terms for the hardware and software used to control the terminal 1 or the label management server 3, and do not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the terminal 1 or the label management server 3.

[0019] The CPU 11 of the terminal 1 and the CPU 31 of the label management server 3 execute various processes according to programs read from the memory 12 of the terminal 1 and the memory 32 of the label management server 3, respectively, and based on user operations. The memories 12 and 32 store various programs and various data. The memories 12 and 32 are also used as work areas when various processes are executed. The buffers provided in the CPUs 11 and 31 are also an example of memory. Note that examples of the memories 12 and 32 are not limited to ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into the terminal 1 or the label management server 3, but may also be storage media readable and writable by the CPUs 11 and 31, such as recording media, for example, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.

[0020] The user IF 13, 33 includes hardware that displays a screen for notifying the user of information and hardware that accepts user operations. For example, the user IF 13 includes a display 13a that displays information. The user IF 13, 33 may be a combination of a display that can display information and a mouse, keyboard, or the like that has an input acceptance function, or may be a touch panel that has both a display function and an input acceptance function.

[0021] The communication IFs 14 and 34 include hardware for communicating with external devices. The terminal 1 and the label management server 3 can connect to the Internet 9 via the communication IFs 14 and 34 and communicate with each other. The terminal 1 can connect to the label printer 2 via the communication IF 14. The communication IFs 14 and 34 can use communication standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and USB. The terminal 1 and the label management server 3 may be equipped with multiple communication IFs 14 and 34 that support multiple communication standards.

[0022] Various programs and data, including an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 21, a browser 45, and a print application program (hereinafter referred to as "print app") 46, are stored in the memory 12 of the terminal 1. The browser 45 and the print app 46 are also referred to as "client apps."

[0023] OS21 is a multitasking OS that can process multiple tasks in parallel by managing and switching between them. Examples of OS21 include Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), and Android (registered trademark).

[0024] The browser 45 is a program used to browse websites. The browser 45 is launched by the user of the terminal 1, and when launched, has the function of displaying on the display 13a a web page provided by a web server (e.g., the label management server 3) indicated by a specified URL. The browser 45 may be supplied by the OS 21 vendor and incorporated into the OS 21, or may be installed on the terminal 1 separately from the OS 21.

[0025] The print application 46 is an application program provided by the vendor of the label printer 2. The print application 46 has a function to send a print job including label data to the label printer 2 and cause the label printer 2 to print based on the label data. The label printer 2 that performs printing may be registered in advance in the print application 46, or may be selected during print settings. The print application 46 may also have a function to create and edit label data on the terminal 1.

[0026] The memory 32 of the label management server 3 stores various programs and data, including a web application program (hereinafter referred to as a "web app") 36. The web app 36 is an application program that can be used on the browser of the terminal 1 without being installed on the terminal 1. The web app 36 is an example of a "program."

[0027] The terminal 1 can access the Web application 36 using the browser 45 or the browser function of the print application 46 and use the services provided by the Web application 36. For example, the Web application 36 can provide services such as registering label data uploaded, i.e., posted from the terminal 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "posted label data"), to the label management server 3 and downloading the registered label data from the label management server 3 to the terminal 1, on the condition that the terminal 1 is logged in.

[0028] The Web application 36 of this embodiment includes a front-end application 37 and a back-end application 38. The front-end application 37 and the back-end application 38 may be held by different servers.

[0029] The front-end application 37 has, for example, a web server function. The front-end application 37 can be directly accessed from the terminal 1. The front-end application 37 has prepared therein various types of page information to be displayed on the screen of the terminal 1.

[0030] The backend application 38 has a function separate from the web server function. Basically, the backend application 38 cannot be accessed directly from the terminal 1. The backend application 38 can call, via the interface 35, for example, a user database (hereinafter referred to as "user DB 5") 5, a label database (hereinafter referred to as "label DB") 6, a group database (hereinafter referred to as "group DB") 7, or a content database (hereinafter referred to as "content DB") 8, and store or search for information.

[0031] The content DB 8 stores multiple pieces of information about content registered in the label management server 3. The content may be, for example, fonts, pictograms, images, or functions. The content may be either paid or free. For each piece of content, the content DB 8 stores a record that associates, for example, a content ID, content data indicating the content configuration, and purchase points required for purchase.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 2(A), the user DB 5 stores multiple pieces of user information about users who can use the services provided by the system 100. In the user DB 5, a record including a user ID 51, a user name 52, a password 53, a serial number 54, purchase information 55, owned points 56, automatic group creation settings 57, belonging group information 58, and destination information 59 is created for each user. The user ID 51 and the user name 52 are examples of "user account required for login." The serial number 54 is an example of "printer information."

[0033] The user ID 51 stores information for identifying a user. The user name 52 and password 53 store the user name and password that the user entered when registering the user and that are used when using the system 100. The serial number 54 stores the serial number of a label printer that the user has previously connected to the label management server 3. The serial number 54 may store multiple serial numbers.

[0034] The purchase information 55 stores, for example, the content ID of paid content that the user has purchased and downloaded to the terminal 1. The owned points 56 stores points that the user has earned. Points can be used to purchase various products such as paid content and consumables. The purchase information may be stored in association with the user ID in a database separate from the user DB 5. Paid content and points are examples of "benefits."

[0035] The automatic group creation setting 57 is, for example, a setting for whether to automatically create a group. The Web application 36 has a function for creating a group for users registered in the user DB 5 based on printer information (in this embodiment, the serial number of the label printer 2). The Web application 36 accepts, for example, an ON / OFF setting for the automatic group creation setting on a user account settings screen. When the automatic group creation setting 57 is ON, the Web application 36 can automatically create a group or add members to a group. When the automatic group creation setting 57 is OFF, the Web application 36 cannot automatically create a group or add members to a group, but can create a group or add members to a group in response to a user operation.

[0036] The belonging group information 58 is information indicating the group to which the user belongs. The belonging group information stores information on the group to which the user belongs as an owner, or information on the group to which the user belongs as a member (group ID in this embodiment). The present system 100 is a system that allows members of a group to share benefits such as points and paid content. Therefore, one user can only belong to one group.

[0037] Destination information for identifying a destination associated with a user is stored in the destination information 59. The destination information is, for example, a network address, an email address, or a telephone number.

[0038] 3, the label DB 6 stores a plurality of label data that can be provided to users. The label data stored in the label DB 6 may be data prepared in advance by the vendor of the label printer 2, or may be posted label data posted by users who use the label management server 3. In the label DB 6, a record including a label ID 61, a user ID (creator) 62, label data 63, and a posting date 64 is created for each piece of label data.

[0039] Information for identifying label data is stored in the label ID 61. The user ID of the user who posted the label data is stored in the user ID (creator) 62. For label data created by someone other than the user, the ID of an administrator may be stored in the user ID (creator) 62, or the user ID (creator) 62 may be left blank.

[0040] Label data 63 stores label data including information constituting the label data in a predetermined storage format. The information constituting the label data includes, for example, information and arrangement of objects constituting the label data, character strings, images, etc. The information constituting the label data also includes the content ID of the content set in the object constituting the label data. Posting date 64 stores information indicating the date on which the label data was posted.

[0041] 4(A), the group DB 7 stores multiple pieces of group information about groups registered in the label management server 3. In the group DB 7, a record is created for each group, associating a group ID 71, a group name 72, a serial number 73, owner information 74, member information 75, group purchase information 76, and group points 77.

[0042] The group ID 71 stores information for identifying the group. The group name stores the name of the group entered by the user when creating the group. The serial number 73 stores printer identification information for the printer associated with the group. Multiple serial numbers can be registered in the serial number 73, but the serial number of a printer registered in another group cannot be registered. Therefore, one printer can only be associated with one group.

[0043] The owner information 74 stores the user ID of the user who created the group, i.e., the owner. The member information 75 stores the user IDs of all members who make up the group. The owner information 74 can store only one user ID, but the member information 75 can store multiple user IDs.

[0044] The group purchase information 76 stores, for example, the content ID of paid content that is purchased by group members and downloaded to the terminal 1 and shared by the group members. The group holding points 77 stores points that are acquired by group members and shared by the group members.

[0045] Next, the operational procedures executed in the system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in this embodiment, each process other than user operations basically indicates the processing of the CPUs 11 and 31 in accordance with instructions written in programs such as the print application 46, front-end application 37, and back-end application 38. In this specification, various processes performed by the controllers 10 and 30 or the CPUs 11 and 31 in accordance with programs such as the OS 21, browser 45, print application 46, front-end application 37, and back-end application 38 may be described as if each program independently performs various processes, for convenience's sake. The processing by the CPUs 11 and 31 also includes hardware control using the API (application programming interface) of the OS. In this specification, the operation of each program will be described without a detailed description of the OS. Furthermore, the term "acquire" is used as a concept that does not necessarily require a request.

[0046] (Printer information saving process) 5(A), the print application 46 can log in to the label management server 3 using a user account such as a user ID or user name (F01). When the print application 46 receives the selection of a label printer 2 (F11), it obtains and saves the serial number from the selected label printer 2 (F12).

[0047] When the front-end application 37 receives a request to display the home screen from the print application 46 (F13), it provides information for displaying the home screen to the print application 46 (F14) and displays the home screen on the display 13a (F15). For example, the home screen 200 shown in FIG. 5(B) can display a post button 201, a download button 202, a paid content purchase button 203, a group creation button 204, and a group display button 205.

[0048] The post button 201 is an operator for displaying on the terminal 1 a post screen for posting label data. The download button 202 is an operator for displaying on the terminal 1 a download screen for downloading label data from the label management server 3 to the terminal 1. The paid content purchase button 203 is an operator for displaying on the terminal 1 a purchase screen for purchasing paid content. The group creation button 204 is an operator for displaying on the terminal 1 a group creation screen for manually creating a group. The group display button 205 is an operator for displaying on the terminal 1 a group display screen for displaying group information.

[0049] 5A, the print application 46 notifies the user of the serial number acquired in F12 (F21) every time the home screen 200 is displayed. The print application 46 may store the date and time when the serial number was confirmed, and may acquire the serial number in F12 or notify the user of the serial number in F21 when the date and time when the home screen 200 was opened matches the confirmed date and time, or when a predetermined period of time, such as one week, has passed since the confirmed date and time.

[0050] When the front-end application 37 receives notification of the serial number of the label printer 2 used by the logged-in user via the communication IF 34, it passes a request to save the serial number to the back-end application 38 (F22). The request includes the user ID of the logged-in user and the serial number notified from the terminal 1.

[0051] The backend application 38 accesses the user DB 5 and associates the serial number attached to the request with the user ID of the logged-in user and saves them (F23). For example, the user may have previously completed a user account registration procedure, and a record associated with the logged-in user's user ID may be created in the user DB 5. The backend application 38 stores the serial number of the label printer 2 attached to the request as the serial number 54 of the record including the user ID of the logged-in user attached to the request. This associates the serial number of the label printer 2 used by one logged-in user with the user account of that logged-in user. F23 is an example of a "save process."

[0052] Note that multiple serial numbers may be stored in association with one user account in the user DB 5. For example, if a user replaces a label printer, the serial number of the old label printer and the serial number of the new label printer may be stored in association with one user account.

[0053] (Posting process) 6, the posting process for posting label data to the label management server 3 will be described. Here, an example will be described in which user A (hereinafter referred to as "poster A") posts label data by operating the post button 201 on the web screen 200 while logged in to the label management server 3. For ease of explanation, the reference numerals of the terminal 1 used by poster A and its components will be given the suffix "A."

[0054] As shown in FIG. 6, poster A accesses the label management server 3 from, for example, the print application 46A and performs an upload operation on the terminal 1A (A01). When the print application 46A accepts an operation of the post button 201 displayed on the web screen 200, it displays a post screen provided by the label management server 3 on the display 13aA. The front-end application 37 accepts the selection of label data to post on the post screen and the input of label data information. When the post instruction button included in the post screen is operated, the front-end application 37 accepts an upload instruction from the terminal 1A (A02). The selected label data is attached to the upload instruction. The front-end application 37 transfers the received upload instruction to the back-end application 38 (A03). The user ID of logged-in user A is attached to the upload instruction.

[0055] The backend application 38 calls the label DB6 using the interface 35 and registers the posted label data of poster A in the label DB6 (A04). Specifically, the backend application 38 creates a new label ID, for example as shown in FIG. 2, and creates a record in the label DB6 in which the new label ID is stored in label ID 61. After that, the backend application 38 stores the user ID attached to the posting instruction and the posted label data of poster A in user ID (creator) 62 and label data 63, respectively, for the record including the new label ID 61. The backend application 38 also stores the posting date of the posted label data in label data posting date 64. The backend application 38 may also receive supplemental information such as the label name, category, and example image received on the posting screen from the frontend application 37 and store the information in the label DB6.

[0056] When the registration of the label data is completed, the back-end application 38 notifies the terminal 1A of "registration complete" via the front-end application 37 (A05, A06). Upon receiving the "registration complete" notification, the terminal 1A displays, for example, a message indicating that the registration of the posted label has been completed (A07). This allows the poster A to know that the posting has been completed.

[0057] The backend application 38 performs a point addition process in response to the registration of the posted label data (A11). The backend application 38 accesses the user DB 5 and determines whether poster A belongs to a group. If poster A does not belong to a group, the backend application 38 accesses the user DB 5 and adds a predetermined number of points to the owned points 56 associated with the poster A's user ID. On the other hand, if poster A belongs to a group, the backend application 38 reads out the group ID from the group information 58. The backend application 38 accesses the group DB 7 and adds up the predetermined number of points to the group owned points 77 associated with the read group ID. Posting the posted label data is an example of a "point acquisition condition." The group associated with the group ID read out from the group information 58 is an example of a "specific group." A11 is an example of a "point addition process."

[0058] (Purchase processing of paid content) The process of purchasing paid content will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Here, the case where user A purchases paid content while logged in to the label management server 3 will be described as an example.

[0059] For example, the print application 46A of the terminal 1A accesses the label management server 3 and accepts an operation on the paid content purchase button 203 displayed on the web screen 200. Then, the front-end application 37 accepts a request to view paid content registered in the label management server 3 (E62).

[0060] The front-end application 37 transfers the request to view the paid content to the back-end application 38 (E63). In response to the request, the back-end application 38 provides a viewing screen for the paid content to the print application 46A via the front-end application 37 (E64, E65), and displays it on the display 13aA of the terminal 1A (E66).

[0061] When user A selects one or more paid contents from the paid contents displayed on terminal 1A and operates the download button, the front-end application 37 receives the selection of the paid contents to be downloaded (E71) and a download request from terminal 1A (E81). The front-end application 37 forwards the download request to the back-end application 38 (E82). The request includes the content ID of the selected paid content.

[0062] The backend application 38 accesses the content DB 8 to acquire paid content information corresponding to the content ID included in the request (E83) and executes payment processing (E84). The backend application 38 accesses the user DB 5 to determine whether a group ID is stored in the belonging group information 58 associated with the user ID of the logged-in user A. If the group ID is not stored, that is, if the logged-in user A does not belong to any group, the backend application 38 subtracts the purchase points included in the acquired paid content information from the owned points 56 associated with the user ID of the logged-in user A in the user DB 5. On the other hand, if the group ID is stored, that is, if the logged-in user A belongs to any group, the backend application 38 accesses the group DB 7 to subtract the purchase points included in the acquired paid content information from the group owned points 77 associated with the group ID in the belonging group information 58. Note that if the purchased content is free of charge, the payment processing of E84 is omitted.

[0063] The backend application 38 executes the update process on the condition that the point subtraction is successful (E85). If the logged-in user A does not belong to any group, the backend application 38 adds the user ID included in the paid content information acquired in E83 to the purchase information 55 associated with the user ID of the logged-in user A and stores the added information. On the other hand, if the poster A belongs to any group, the backend application 38 accesses the group DB 7 and adds the user ID included in the paid content information acquired in E83 to the group purchase information 76 associated with the group ID of the group to which the logged-in user belongs and stores the added information.

[0064] After the update process, the back-end application 38 sends the paid content information acquired in E83 to the terminal 1A via the front-end application 37 (E86, E87). When the terminal 1A receives the paid content information via the communication IF 14A, it stores the paid content information in the memory 12A (E88). This allows the print application 46A to use paid content downloaded from the label management server 3 in addition to content previously registered in the print application 46A, thereby expanding the variety of label data created by the print application 46A.

[0065] (Download printing process) The process of downloading and printing label data will be described with reference to Figure 8. Here, we will explain an example in which user B (hereinafter referred to as "printer B"), while logged in to the label management server 3, downloads the submitted label data of poster A to terminal 1 and prints it on a label printer. For ease of explanation, the reference numerals of the terminal 1 used by printer B and its components will be given the suffix "B".

[0066] For example, when the print application 46B of the terminal 1B accepts an operation on the download button 202 displayed on the web screen 200, the front-end application 37 receives from the terminal 1B a request to view the label data registered in the label management server 3 (E02). The front-end application 37 transfers the label data viewing request to the back-end application 38 (E03).

[0067] In response to the request, the back-end application 38 provides the label data viewing screen to the print application 46B via the front-end application 37 (E04, E05), and displays it on the display 13aB of the terminal 1B (E06).

[0068] When printer B selects poster A's posted label data from the label data displayed on terminal 1B and operates the download execution button, the front-end application 37 receives the selection of label data to be downloaded (E11) and a download request from terminal 1B (E21). The front-end application 37 forwards the download request to the back-end application 38 (E22). The request includes the label ID of the selected label data (in this embodiment, the label ID of poster A's posted label data).

[0069] The back-end application 38 accesses the label DB 6 to obtain the posted label data of poster A based on the label ID attached to the request (E23), and transmits the data to the terminal 1B via the front-end application 37 (E24, E25). E25 is an example of a "transmission process." Upon receiving the posted label data via the communication IF 14B, the terminal 1B stores the posted label data in the memory 12B (E26).

[0070] For example, when the print application 46B receives a label creation instruction (C01), it displays an edit screen (C02) and accepts an edit operation (C03). On the edit screen, downloaded label data may be opened and edited, or new label data may be edited. At this time, the print application 46b can set paid content downloaded from the label management server 3 as an object for the label data being edited. When the print application 46B receives a print instruction (C21), it sends a print job including the edited label data to the selected label printer 2B (C22). The label printer 2B executes printing based on the print job (C23).

[0071] The print application 46B may also accept print instructions without using the edit screen. For example, the print application 46B may display a list of label data stored in terminal 1B on terminal 1B, and accept the selection of label data to be printed and the print instruction on that screen.

[0072] (Group creation control process) The control procedure for creating a group will be described with reference to the sequence diagram in Fig. 9. Here, an example will be described in which user A creates a group and then invites user B to join the group. For ease of explanation, the terminals 1 used by users A and B and their component parts will be denoted with the suffixes "A" and "B," respectively. Note that the user DB 5 shown in Fig. 2(A) and the group DB 7 shown in Fig. 2(C) reflect the processing results of this group creation process.

[0073] For example, when the print application 46A opens the home screen 200 while logged in to the label management server 3, the front-end application 37 passes a request to the back-end application 38 to check the setting value of the automatic group creation setting (G01). The request includes the user ID of the logged-in user A. The back-end application 38 accesses the user DB 5, checks the setting value of the automatic group creation setting 57 associated with the user ID of the logged-in user A (G02), and passes the check result to the front-end application 37 (G03).

[0074] When the setting value of the automatic group creation setting 57 is ON (alt: ON), the front-end application 37 requests the back-end application 38 to search for a group (G31). The request includes the serial number requested to be saved in F22.

[0075] The back-end application 38 accesses the group DB 7 and searches for a group associated with the serial number attached to the request (G32). The back-end application 38 extracts group IDs from the group information associated with the serial numbers attached to the request, and passes the search results including the extracted group IDs to the front-end application 37 (G33). Note that the group searched for in G32, i.e., the group associated with the acquired serial number, is an example of a "first group."

[0076] Based on the received search results, the front-end application 37 determines whether there is a group associated with the serial number of the label printer 2A used by logged-in user A (G41).

[0077] If the search results do not include a group ID, the front-end application 37 determines that there is no group associated with the serial number (alt: none). In this case, the web application 36 executes a group creation process (M01) on the condition that the logged-in user A does not belong to a group. The group creation process is a process for creating a group associated with the serial number acquired from terminal 1A, and whose members are users whose user IDs are associated with that serial number. The group creation process will be described later. Note that if there is no group associated with the serial number, or if the logged-in user A belongs to another group, the web application 36 does not execute the process of M01 and does not create a new group. This avoids unnecessary processing and limits the logged-in user from belonging to multiple groups.

[0078] On the other hand, if the search result includes a group ID, the front-end application 37 determines that there is a group associated with the serial number of the label printer 2A used by logged-in user A (alt: Yes). In this case, the web application 36 executes group joining processing (N01) on the condition that the logged-in user is not included in that group. The group joining processing is processing for logged-in user A to join a group associated with the acquired serial number. The group joining processing will be described later. Note that if there is no group associated with the serial number, or if the logged-in user is already a member of the detected group, the group joining processing of N01 is not executed, and the logged-in user does not join the group. This avoids unnecessary processing and limits the logged-in user from belonging to multiple groups.

[0079] On the other hand, when the setting value of the automatic group creation setting 57 is OFF (alt: OFF), the front-end application 37 executes processing in accordance with the user operation.

[0080] For example, when the create group button 204 on the web screen 200 is operated (H01), the front-end application 37 executes a manual group creation process (H02). The manual group creation process is a process for creating a new group in accordance with a user operation. Furthermore, when the display group button 205 on the web screen 200 is operated (J01), the front-end application 37 executes a manual group addition process (J02). The manual group addition process is a process for adding a user other than the logged-in user to the group members in accordance with a user operation. The manual group creation process and the manual group addition process will be described later.

[0081] In this way, the Web application 36 switches between automatic group creation and manual group creation depending on the setting value of the automatic group creation setting 57. In this embodiment, the setting value of the automatic group creation setting 57 can be changed, for example, on the setting screen of the user account. This allows the user to switch between automatic group creation and manual group creation at any time, which is convenient.

[0082] (Group creation process) The group creation process shown in M01 of Fig. 9 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. The front-end application 37 requests the back-end application 38 to search for user information (M12). The request includes the serial number "PX1" obtained from the terminal 1A.

[0083] The back-end application 38 accesses the user DB 5 shown in FIG. 2(A), for example, and extracts the user information by extracting the record in which the serial number "PX1" attached to the request is stored in the serial number 54 (M13). The back-end application 38 passes the search results including the extracted user information to the front-end application 37 (M14). The user information included in the search results may be all of the information included in the extracted record, or may be part of the information required to create a group (for example, the user ID, the group information to which the user belongs, and the destination information).

[0084] The front-end application 37 extracts user information whose group ID is not stored in the belonging group information from the user information received from the back-end application 38 (M15). In other words, the front-end application 37 extracts user information of users who do not belong to other groups. This makes it possible to restrict the association of group IDs of multiple groups with one user account. M15 is an example of a "restriction process."

[0085] If there is user information of another user who does not belong to another group, the front-end application 37 sends a group creation screen to the terminal 1A (M21) and displays it on the display 13aA via the print application 46A (M22). The group creation screen is a screen for confirming with the logged-in user whether or not to create a new group. M21 is an example of a "creation confirmation process." Note that if there is no user information of another user who does not belong to another group, the front-end application 37 does not execute the processes from M21 onwards and does not create a group.

[0086] 11(A) includes a Create button 301 for receiving an instruction to create a group, and a Don't Create button 302 for receiving an instruction not to create a group. The group creation screen 300 may also include a field for receiving input of supplemental information such as a description of the functions that can be shared among members by creating a group, and a group name.

[0087] In response to the operation of the create button 301 on the terminal 1A, the front-end application 37 receives a group creation instruction from the terminal 1A (M31). The front-end application 37 passes the group creation execution instruction to the back-end application 38. This instruction is accompanied by the user ID "aaa1" of the logged-in user A. The instruction may also include the group name entered on the group creation screen.

[0088] The back-end application 38 creates a new group with the login user A as the owner (M33). M33 is an example of a "creation process." The group created in M33 is an example of a "second group."

[0089] For example, the backend application 38 creates a new group ID "ggg1" and generates a record in which the group ID "ggg1" is stored in the group ID 71, as shown in FIG. 4(B). The backend application 38 accesses the user DB 5 shown in FIG. 2(A), reads the serial numbers "PX1, PX3" associated with the user ID of login user A, and stores the read serial numbers in the serial number 73 of the generated record. The backend application 38 stores the group name added to the instruction in the group name 72 of the record. The backend application 38 stores the user ID of login user A in the owner information 74 and the member information 75, respectively. As a result, the group information of the new group is registered in the group DB 7, and the new group is created.

[0090] The backend application 38 shares the privileges held by the owner within the new group (M34). For example, the backend application 38 accesses the user DB 5 shown in FIG. 2(A) and acquires the purchase information "paid content C1" and "100" points from the purchase information 55 and the owned points 56 associated with the user ID "aaa1" of the logged-in user A. As shown in FIG. 4(B), the backend application 38 writes the acquired purchase information "paid content C1" into the group purchase information 76 of the created record, and then initializes the purchase information 55 of the acquisition source, as shown in FIG. 2(B). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4(B), the backend application 38 adds the acquired "100" points to the group owned points 77 of the created record, and then initializes the owned points 56 of the acquisition source, as shown in FIG. 2(B). As a result, the privileges held by the logged-in user A are transferred to the newly created group and are shared by the group members.

[0091] The back-end application 38 may notify the terminal 1A that a new group has been created via the front-end application 37. When the "Do not create" button 302 on the group creation screen 300 is operated, the front-end application 37 does not accept the group creation instruction and does not execute the processes of M33 and M34.

[0092] 10, the front-end application 37 passes a member selection screen to the terminal 1A (M42), and causes the print application 46A to display it on the display 13aA (M43). The member selection screen is a screen that allows the logged-in user to select members to belong to the new group. M42 is an example of a "participation selection process."

[0093] 11(B), for example, radio buttons 401a and 401b are provided for selecting whether or not to add a member. When radio button 401a for adding a member is selected, member selection screen 400 displays check boxes 402a and 402b along with the names of logged-in user A and other users who do not belong to other groups, based on the user information extracted in M15. Member selection screen 400 also includes an OK button 403 for accepting an instruction to confirm the selection of a member, and a cancel button 404 for accepting an instruction to cancel the selection of a member.

[0094] For example, in the user DB5 shown in FIG. 2(A), the serial number "PX1" is included in the user information of users A to D. User A has already been registered in a group in E33, so he is not included in the candidates for adding members on the member selection screen 400. Furthermore, user D belongs to another group, "ggg7," so he is not included in the candidates for adding members on the member selection screen 400. Users B and C do not belong to a group, so their names are displayed on the member selection screen 400 as candidates for adding members.

[0095] For example, when the radio button 401a is selected on the member selection screen 400, and the check box 402a is checked, and the OK button 403 is operated, the front-end application 37 accepts the selection of the additional member (M51). The front-end application 37 passes a group creation instruction to the back-end application 38 (M52). The instruction includes the user ID of the member selected on the member selection screen 400 (user ID of user B in this embodiment).

[0096] The backend application 38 executes another user confirmation process for each user selected on the member addition screen (M53, loop: for the number of selected members). The another user confirmation process is a process for confirming with the members selected by the logged-in user whether or not they want to join the group.

[0097] (Another user verification process) Specifically, as shown in Fig. 12, the backend application 38 asks the selected members whether or not they want to join the group (M61, M62). M61 and M62 are examples of "another user confirmation processing."

[0098] Specifically, the backend application 38 accesses the user DB 5 and acquires destination information corresponding to the user ID of the selected member (user B's user ID) attached to the instruction. The backend application 38 sends a request to confirm whether or not to join the group, using the acquired destination information as the destination.

[0099] In response to the request, terminal 1B confirms whether user B will join user A's group. For example, terminal 1B displays an invitation notification screen on display 13aB. The invitation notification screen is displayed, for example, as a pop-up screen.

[0100] 11(C), invitation display screen 500 displays a join button 502 that instructs the user to join the group and a not join button 503 that instructs the user not to join the group. Invitation display screen 500 may also display a message informing the user that user A has invited user B to join the group and that by joining the group, the user can share benefits with other members. Invitation display screen 500 may also display the group name of the group to which the user has been invited and the names of the members belonging to that group.

[0101] In response to the operation of buttons 502 and 503, terminal 1B passes the confirmation result to the front-end application 37 (M64). The front-end application 37 passes the confirmation result to the back-end application 38 (M65). The confirmation result includes the user ID of user B, who is the subject of confirmation.

[0102] The backend application 38 determines whether or not user B has approved the participation based on the received confirmation result (M66). When the join button 502 is operated on terminal 1B, the backend application 38 receives a confirmation result including approval of participation and determines that user B has approved the participation (alt: participation approved). In this case, the backend application 38 adds the members whose participation has been approved to the new group (M71). M71 is an example of a "second addition process."

[0103] Specifically, the backend application 38 accesses the group DB 7 and stores the user ID of user B, whose participation has been approved, that is, the user ID included in the confirmation result, in the member information 75 associated with the user ID "aaa1" of the logged-in user A, as shown in FIG. 4(B). As a result, user B, selected by logged-in user A, is added as a member of the new group. In addition, the backend application 38 accesses the user DB 5 and stores the group ID "ggg1" of the new group in the belonging group information 58 associated with the user ID "aaa2" of user B, as shown in FIG. 2(B).

[0104] The backend application 38 shares the benefits of the added member within the new group (M72). For example, the backend application 38 accesses the user DB 5 shown in FIG. 2(A) and acquires the purchase information "paid content C10, paid content C5" and "50" points from the purchase information 55 and owned points 56 associated with the user ID "aaa2" of user B who was added to the group. As shown in FIG. 4(B), the backend application 38 writes the acquired purchase information "paid content C10, paid content C5" to the group purchase information 76 of the created record, and then initializes the purchase information 55 of the acquisition source, as shown in FIG. 2(B). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4(B), the backend application 38 adds the acquired "50" points to the group owned points 77 of the created record, and then initializes the owned points 56 of the acquisition source, as shown in FIG. 2(B). As a result, the benefits of the added member are transferred to the group and can be shared among group members.

[0105] Thereafter, the back-end application 38 notifies the terminal 1A of the logged-in user A via the front-end application 37 that user B has consented to joining the group (M73, M74).

[0106] On the other hand, if the non-participation button 503 is operated on terminal 1B, the backend application 38 receives a confirmation result including non-approval of participation and determines that participation has not been approved by user B (alt: participation not approved). In this case, the backend application 38 notifies terminal 1A of logged-in user A via the frontend application 37 that user B will not participate in the group (M81, M82).

[0107] (Group joining process) The group joining process shown in N01 of Figure 9 will be explained with reference to Figure 13. Here, we will explain an example in which user C, who uses label printer 2A used by user A, joins a group owned by user A. For ease of explanation, the reference numerals for the terminals 1 used by users A and C and their component parts will be given the suffixes "A" and "C", respectively.

[0108] As shown in Fig. 13, when user C, who does not belong to a group and whose user ID is associated with the serial number of the label printer 2A, opens the home screen 200 while logged in to the label management server 3, the front-end application 37 provides a participation confirmation screen to the terminal 1C, which is displayed on the display 13aC (N11, N12). The participation confirmation screen is a screen that allows the logged-in user to select whether or not to join the detected group. N11 is an example of the "participation confirmation process."

[0109] 14(A), a join button 601 and a decline button 602 are displayed. The join confirmation screen 600 may display the group names, owner names, and participating members of groups that the logged-in user can join. The join confirmation screen 600 may also display a message indicating that joining a group will allow sharing of information among members.

[0110] For example, when the join button 601 is operated on the terminal 1C, the front-end application 37 receives the join instruction (N21), and passes a join request to the back-end application 38 (N22).

[0111] In response to the join request, the backend application 38 requests the owner of the detected group to confirm whether or not to add user B to the group (N24, N25). Specifically, the backend application 38 accesses the group DB 7 shown in FIG. 4(B) and acquires the user ID "aaa1" from the owner information 74 associated with the group ID "ggg1" attached to the join request. The backend application 38 accesses the user DB 5 shown in FIG. 2(B) and acquires the destination information of the terminal 1A from the destination information 59 associated with the owner's user ID "aaa1". The backend application 38 requests the terminal 1A to confirm addition via the frontend application 37 based on the acquired destination information.

[0112] In response to the request, the terminal 1A executes an addition confirmation process (N26). In the addition confirmation process, as shown in FIG. 14(B), for example, the front-end application 37 provides an addition confirmation screen 700 to the terminal 1A and causes it to be displayed on the display 13aA. For example, an "Add" button 701 and a "Don't add" button 702 are displayed on the addition confirmation screen 700. The addition confirmation screen 700 may also display a message informing the user that a user who has not yet joined the group the user created has requested to join the group.

[0113] In response to the operation of buttons 701 and 702, terminal 1A passes the addition confirmation result to backend application 38 via frontend application 37 (N27, N28). N24 to N28 are an example of "owner approval processing." Based on the addition confirmation result, backend application 38 determines whether owner A has approved adding logged-in user C to the group (N31).

[0114] For example, when the add button 701 is operated on terminal 1A, the backend application 38 receives a confirmation result approving the addition from terminal 1A (alt: approve). In this case, the backend application 38 adds the login user C to the detected group as a member (N41). The backend application 38 also transfers and shares the benefits held by the login user C to the group to which the login user C is added as a member (N42). The member addition procedure and benefit sharing procedure are similar to M71 and M72 in FIG. 12, and therefore their explanation will be omitted. N41 is an example of a "first addition process." N42 is an example of a "point transfer process."

[0115] Thereafter, the back-end application 38 notifies the terminal 1C of the logged-in user C, who has requested to join the existing group via the front-end application 37, that the owner A has permitted the addition (N43, N44).

[0116] In response to this, for example, if the "Do not add" button 702 is operated on terminal 1A, the backend application 38 receives a confirmation instruction from terminal 1A indicating that the addition is not approved (alt: Not approved). In this case, the backend application 38 does not perform the addition process of N41 or the benefit sharing process of N42. The backend application 38 notifies terminal 1C of logged-in user C, who has requested to join the existing group, via the frontend application 37 that the owner has rejected the addition (N51, N52).

[0117] For example, if the non-participation button 602 on the participation confirmation screen 600 is operated on terminal 1C, the Web application 36 will not execute the processes of confirming the addition of logged-in user A (N24 to N28), adding a member (N41), or sharing benefits (N42).

[0118] (Manual group creation process) The manual group creation process shown in H02 of Fig. 9 will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Here, the case where user A manually creates a group with the automatic group creation setting set to OFF will be described as an example.

[0119] 15, when the terminal 1A logs in to the label management server 3 and accepts an operation on the group creation button 204 displayed on the web screen 200 (H01), the front-end application 37 provides a group creation screen to the terminal 1A (H11) and displays it on the display 13aA (H12). The group creation screen includes, for example, an input field for inputting a group name and a confirm button for confirming the input content. The group creation screen may also have input fields for inputting group information other than the group name.

[0120] Web application 36 accepts the input of group information on terminal 1A, and upon accepting the operation of the Confirm button, searches for the group corresponding to serial number "PX1" acquired from terminal 1A (H23 to H25). H23 to H25 are the same as G31 to G33 in Figure 9, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0121] If the Web application 36 does not find a group associated with serial number "PX1" (alt: none), it executes group creation processing (H31) and benefit sharing processing (H32), provided that logged-in user A does not belong to any other groups. H31 and H32 are similar to M33 and M34 in Figure 10, and therefore will not be described here. Thereafter, the Web application 36 notifies terminal 1A from the front-end application 37 that the group has been successfully created (H33).

[0122] In response to this, if the Web application 36 detects a group associated with the serial number "PX1" (alt: present), it does not execute the group creation process (H31) and the benefit sharing process (H32), and notifies the terminal 1A from the front-end application 37 that the group creation has failed (H41).

[0123] (Manual group invitation process) The manual group invitation process shown in J02 of Fig. 9 will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Here, an example will be described in which user A manually invites user B to his or her group with the automatic group creation setting set to OFF. For ease of explanation, the reference numerals of the terminals 1 used by users A and B and their component parts will be given the suffixes "A" and "B", respectively.

[0124] 16, when the terminal 1A logs in to the label management server 3 and accepts an operation on the group display button 205 displayed on the web screen 200 (J01), the front-end application 37 provides a group display screen to the terminal 1A (J05) and displays it on the display 13aA (J06). The group display screen includes, for example, the group name of the group created by user A and an invite button for accepting an instruction to invite members to the group. The group display screen may also display group information other than the group name.

[0125] When the web application 36 accepts the operation of the invite button (J11), it accesses the user DB 5 and searches for user information associated with the serial number "PX1" acquired from the terminal 1A (J12 to J14). J12 to J14 are similar to M12 to M14 in FIG. 10, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. The front-end application 37 determines whether or not it is possible to extract user information from the detected user information whose group ID is not stored in the belonging group information 58 (J15). In other words, the front-end application 37 detects users who do not belong to a group from among the users who use the label printer 2A. J15 is an example of a "restriction process."

[0126] If the front-end application 37 can extract user information whose group ID is not stored in the belonging group information 58 (alt: extraction possible), it sends an invitation screen to the terminal 1A (J21) and displays it on the display 13aA (J22). The invitation screen displays, for example, the user name or full name included in the extracted user information together with a check box, and further displays a confirm button. J21 is an example of an "addition reception process."

[0127] For example, when logged-in user A checks the checkbox of a user (user B in this embodiment) that he or she wants to invite from among the users displayed on the invitation screen and operates the confirm button, the front-end application 37 accepts the member designation (J31). The front-end application 37 requests the back-end application 38 to invite the designated user to the group (J32). The request includes the user ID of logged-in user A and the user ID of the user whose checkbox has been checked. The back-end application 38 executes separate user confirmation processing for the designated number of users (J33). J33 is similar to M53 in FIG. 10 and FIG. 12, and therefore will not be described here.

[0128] If the front-end application 37 cannot detect a user who is not a member of the group (alt: extraction not possible), it does not display the invitation screen or execute the other user confirmation process. In this case, the back-end application 38 notifies the terminal 1A via the front-end application 37 that the member invitation has failed (J42).

[0129] (Regarding group member benefits) As described above, for example, if a group is created with user A as the owner and users B and C as members, the points earned by users A to C by posting label data are added to the group points in group DB7, but are not added to the points earned by each user in user DB5. Furthermore, paid content purchased by each user A to C is stored in the group purchase information in group DB7, but is not stored in the individual purchase information in user DB5. Group member B, for example, can purchase paid content using points held by the group, and the purchased paid content is registered in group DB7, but not in user DB5. This allows other members A and C to use the paid content even if they did not purchase it directly. Users who do not belong to the group accumulate points and purchase paid content individually, and their earned points and purchased paid content are not used by other users.

[0130] As described above, the Web application 36 of the label management server 3 in this embodiment can create groups associated with serial numbers that identify the label printers 2. The Web application 36 can set as members of the group user accounts registered in the label management server 3 that have the same serial number as the serial number associated with the group. This makes it possible for the Web application 36 to manage groups in units of multiple users who use the same label printer 2, and as a result, it is expected that, for example, benefits granted to each account can be handled on a group basis, and appropriate suggestions can be made on a group basis.

[0131] Specifically, in cases where multiple users, such as a family, use one label printer 2, each user may obtain a user account. Therefore, rewards such as points earned when using the system 100 are given to each user individually, making it difficult to accumulate points. Furthermore, if paid content is purchased for an individual user, only that user can use the paid content, and it cannot be shared among family members. In this embodiment, a group that can manage multiple users is created and linked to the label printer 2, and rewards can be managed on a group-by-group basis. This allows, for example, rewards acquired by an individual user to be shared by another user.

[0132] 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 naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the program used by terminal 1 when executing the posting process and the download printing process may be either the print application 46 or the browser 45.

[0133] For example, the sharing of benefits in M34 in Fig. 10, M72 in Fig. 12, N42 in Fig. 13, H32 in Fig. 15, and J33 in Fig. 16 may be omitted. However, by sharing benefits among group members, for example, if the benefit is points, it becomes easier to accumulate points, and if the benefit is paid content, the paid content can be used by group members, thereby promoting the use of benefits.

[0134] For example, the benefit shared by the group may be either paid content or points.

[0135] 13 may be omitted, and if the logged-in user is not included in a group detected based on the serial number, the logged-in user may be added to the detected group without being asked whether or not to join the group. However, if a group associated with the printer used by the logged-in user already exists and the logged-in user wishes to join that group, adding the logged-in user as a member of that group can promote use of the group.

[0136] For example, the print application 46 does not have to acquire and save the serial number from the printer every time a printer is selected. Instead, the print application 46 may save the serial number when a printer is selected, and send the saved serial number to the label management server 3 every time a program (print application 46 or browser 45) of the terminal 1 accesses the label management server 3. The serial number may also be sent from the terminal 1 to the label management server 3 in response to a request from the label management server 3 based on an operation on an operator displayed on the web screen 200.

[0137] For example, if the Do Not Participate button 302 is operated on the group creation screen displayed at M21 and M22 in FIG. 10 and the logged-in user does not wish to participate in the group, the Web application 36 stores information indicating non-participation in the user DB 5 by associating the login account with the printer information, and thereafter, if that information is stored, the processing from M21 onwards may be omitted and the logged-in user may not become a member of the group.

[0138] 13, the process may be omitted, and the logged-in user may be added to the group without confirming with the owner whether or not to add the logged-in user to the group. However, by adding the logged-in user to the group if the group owner allows the logged-in user to be added to the group, and not adding the logged-in user to the group if the group owner does not allow it, it is possible to prevent a user unintended by the group owner from being added to the group.

[0139] For example, the group owner may be set to the creator of the group as an initial value in the group DB 7, and may be able to be changed later via the Web application 36.

[0140] For example, if there is a group associated with the serial number obtained from the label printer 2, the logged-in user may be added to the detected group even if he or she belongs to another group. However, if there is no group associated with the obtained serial number or if the logged-in user is already a member of a detected group, unnecessary processing can be avoided by omitting the process to add the logged-in user to the members of that group.

[0141] For example, if there is no group associated with the serial number obtained from the label printer, M21 to M22 and M31 in Fig. 10 can be omitted, and a group can be created without confirming with the logged-in user whether or not to create a new group. However, if there is no group associated with the printer used by the logged-in user and the logged-in user wishes to create a new group, creating a new group can encourage the use of groups.

[0142] For example, if the logged-in user operates the cancel button 302 on the group creation screen 300 shown in FIG. 11(A) and does not wish to create a group, information indicating non-creation can be stored in the user DB 5 in association with the login account and printer information, and thereafter, if that information is stored, the creation confirmation can be omitted and the group can be prevented from being created.

[0143] For example, if no group is found based on the acquired serial number, even if the logged-in user belongs to another group, the process from M21 onwards in Fig. 10 can be executed to ask the logged-in user whether or not they want to join the group, and if they do, add the logged-in user to the found group. However, since it becomes difficult to manage benefits if one user joins multiple groups, if the logged-in user is already in another group, the creation of a new group can be prohibited to avoid a situation in which one user participates in multiple groups.

[0144] For example, M34 in Fig. 10 may be omitted. However, if a new group is created with the logged-in user as the owner, the benefits held by the logged-in user will be transferred to the group and become the benefits of the created group, and if members are added later, they will be shared with the added members, which will also promote the use of benefits.

[0145] 10, if a group is created with the logged-in user as the owner, and there is another user who has the same serial number stored as the group, the other user may be added to the group without confirming that the other user wants to join the group. However, after creating a new group with user A as the owner, if there is user C whose user information includes printer information associated with the group, that is, a user who uses the same label printer 2A as logged-in user A, that user can be added to the group of logged-in user A if he or she wishes, which will promote the use of groups.

[0146] 12 may be omitted, and there is no need to notify logged-in user A that a user with a different user account has been added to the created group. However, by notifying the logged-in user that a member has been added, the user can keep track of the group members.

[0147] 10, it is possible to omit M42 and M43 and not have to confirm whether or not the logged-in user who created the group wants to add another user to the group. However, after creating a new group for the logged-in user, if there is a user whose user information includes printer information associated with the group, that is, a user who uses the same printer as the logged-in user, it is possible to prevent unnecessary users from joining the group by having the logged-in user select whether to add the user to the group or not.

[0148] For example, when a new group is created, users who belong to other groups may be added as members of the new group. However, since it becomes difficult to manage benefits if one user participates in multiple groups, if a user with another user account is already participating in another group, adding that user to the new group as a member can be prohibited, thereby preventing one user from participating in multiple groups.

[0149] For example, only one serial number may be stored in the serial number 73 of the group DB 7. However, by associating multiple printers with one group, for example, if a family creates a group, even if the family buys a new printer, they can continue to use the same group by associating the new printer with the existing group.

[0150] For example, if multiple serial numbers are stored in the serial number field 73 in the group DB 7, only users who have user information that includes all of the serial numbers may be registered as members of the group. This limits the use of the group by the printer used by the user, and restricts the sharing of benefits to an appropriate extent.

[0151] For example, J01 and J02 in Fig. 9 may be omitted. However, the use of groups can be promoted by manually adding users who have printer information associated with the group by operating the label management server 3.

[0152] For example, one user account may be able to participate as a member of multiple groups, but one user account can only participate as a member of one group and cannot be a member of multiple groups, which makes it easier to manage users.

[0153] For example, when a member other than the owner consumes points, the owner may be asked to confirm the consumption of points.

[0154] In any sequence diagram disclosed in the embodiments, any of a plurality of processes can be executed in any order or in parallel as long as no contradiction occurs in the process content.

[0155] The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by hardware such as a single CPU, multiple CPUs, or ASIC, or a combination thereof. The processes disclosed in the embodiments may also be realized in various ways, such as a recording medium on which a program for executing the processes is recorded, or a method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0156] 1 device 2. Label printer 3 Label Management Server 6 Label DB 7 Font Database 9 Network 31 CPU 36 Web Apps

Claims

1. A program executable by a server, the server being able to access a label database and a user database, the label database being able to register a plurality of label data, the label data being data that can be printed by a label printer, the user database being able to register a plurality of user information, the user information being information associated with a user account required for login, the user information being able to include printer information that identifies the label printer, In the server computer, when a download request is received from an information processing device with one of the label data registered in the label database specified, a transmission process is executed to transmit the specified label data to the information processing device; The computer of the server further comprises: execute a creation process for creating a group to which the printer information is associated, the group being capable of including as members the user accounts that share the printer information included in the user information; A program that is structured as follows.

2. The program according to claim 1, The computer of the server, A benefit that can be used via the server can be granted to each of the user accounts; The computer of the server further comprises: The benefits held by the members of the group created in the creation process are shared among the members of the group. A program that is structured as follows.

3. The program according to claim 2, The benefit is a point that can be used to acquire content that can be used for label data, The user information may include the points earned by a user of a corresponding user account; The group may be associated with the point; The computer of the server, When the logged-in user satisfies the point acquisition condition, if there is a specific group that includes the user account of the logged-in user as a member, the points acquired by the logged-in user are added to the points associated with the specific group, and the points included in the user information associated with the user account of the logged-in user are not added; if there is no specific group, the points acquired by the logged-in user are added to the points included in the user information associated with the user account of the logged-in user, and a point addition process is executed. A program that is structured as follows.

4. The program according to claim 1, The computer of the server, When the printer information of the logged-in user is acquired from the information processing device, executes a save process for saving the acquired printer information in addition to the user information of the login user registered in the user database; If there is a first group that is a group associated with the acquired printer information, a participation confirmation process is executed to allow the logged-in user to select whether or not to participate in the first group; When a selection is made in the participation confirmation process to join the first group, it is possible to cause a member of the first group to execute a first addition process to add a logged-in user, and when a selection is made in the participation confirmation process not to join the first group, the first addition process is not executed. A program that is structured as follows.

5. The program according to claim 4, One of the members of the group is set as an owner of the group, The computer of the server, If the login user selects to join the first group in the participation confirmation process, an owner approval process is executed to allow the owner of the first group to select whether or not to add the login user to the first group; When a selection is made to add the user to the first group in the owner approval process, the first addition process is executed, and when a selection is made to not add the user to the first group in the owner approval process, the first addition process is not executed. A program that is structured as follows.

6. The program according to claim 4, The computer of the server, When the printer information of the logged-in user is acquired from the information processing device, When the first group exists and the logged-in user is not included in the members of the first group, the participation confirmation process is executed, and when the logged-in user selects to join the first group in the participation confirmation process, the first addition process is executed, If the first group does not exist or if the logged-in user is included in the members of the first group, the participation confirmation process and the first addition process are not executed. A program that is structured as follows.

7. The program according to claim 4, The computer of the server, A privilege that can be used via the server can be granted to each user account; The computer of the server further comprises: When the first addition process is executed, the privilege owned by the logged-in user is shared among the members of the first group. A program that is structured as follows.

8. The program according to claim 7, The benefit is a point that can be used to acquire content that can be used for label data, The user information may include the points earned by a user of a corresponding user account; The group may be associated with the point; The computer of the server, When the first addition process is executed, a point transfer process is executed to add the points included in the user information associated with the user account of the logged-in user to the points associated with the first group and initialize the points included in the user information. A program that is structured as follows.

9. The program according to claim 4, The computer of the server, When the printer information of the logged-in user is acquired from the information processing device, If the first group does not exist, a creation confirmation process is executed to allow the login user to select whether or not to create a new group; When a selection is made to create a new group in the creation confirmation process, the creation process is executed to create a second group associated with the acquired printer information, and when a selection is made to not create a new group in the creation confirmation process, the creation process is not executed. A program that is structured as follows.

10. 10. The program according to claim 9, The computer of the server, When the printer information of the logged-in user is acquired from the information processing device, If the first group does not exist and there are no other groups in which the logged-in user participates, the creation confirmation process is executed, and if a selection to create a new group is made in the creation confirmation process, the creation process is executed; If the first group exists or if there is another group in which the logged-in user participates, the creation confirmation process and the creation process are not executed. A program that is structured as follows.

11. 10. The program according to claim 9, The computer of the server, A privilege that can be used via the server can be granted to each user account; The computer of the server further comprises: After the creation process, the privileges of the logged-in user are shared with the members of the second group. A program that is structured as follows.

12. 10. The program according to claim 9, The computer of the server, After the second group is created in the creation process, if there is a user account other than the user account of the logged-in user that is associated with the user information including the printer information associated with the second group, another user confirmation process is executed to allow the user of the other user account to select whether or not to participate in the second group; When a selection is made in the separate user confirmation process to join the second group, it is possible to cause the members of the second group to execute a second addition process to add a user of the separate user account, and when a selection is made in the separate user confirmation process not to join the second group, the second addition process is not executed. A program that is structured as follows.

13. 13. The program according to claim 12, The computer of the server, After the second group is created in the creation process, if there is another user account associated with the user information including the printer information associated with the second group, a participation selection process is executed to allow the login user to select whether or not to add the user of the another user account to the second group; When the user of the other user account has selected to add the user to the second group in the participation selection process, the other user confirmation process is executed; when the user has selected to join the second group in the other user confirmation process, the second addition process is executed; If a selection is made in the participation selection process not to add the user of the other user account to the second group, the other user confirmation process and the second addition process are not executed. A program that is structured as follows.

14. 13. The program according to claim 12, The computer of the server, A privilege that can be used via the server can be granted to each user account; The computer of the server further comprises: When the second addition process is executed, a privilege held by the user of the other user account is shared by members of the second group. A program that is structured as follows.

15. 13. The program according to claim 12, The computer of the server, After the second group is created in the creation process, if there is another user account associated with the user information including the printer information associated with the second group and there is no other group in which a user of the another user account participates, the other user confirmation process is executed; after the second group is created in the creation process, if there is no other user account associated with the user information including the printer information associated with the second group, or if there is another group in which a user of the other user account participates, the other user confirmation process and the second addition process are not executed. A program that is structured as follows.

16. The program according to claim 1, A plurality of pieces of printer information can be associated with the group; The members of the group may include the user account associated with the user information including at least one of the plurality of pieces of printer information associated with the group. A program that is structured as follows.

17. 17. The program according to claim 16, The computer of the server, With one of the groups selected, an addition acceptance process is executed to accept addition of a member of the selected group, and in the addition acceptance process, the user accounts associated with the user information including at least one of the plurality of pieces of printer information associated with the selected group are displayed selectably as candidates for addition of members, and the selected user account is added to the member of the selected group. A program that is structured as follows.

18. The program according to claim 1, The computer of the server, Execute a restriction process that restricts a user account that is a member of a predetermined group from becoming a member of a group other than the predetermined group. A program that is structured as follows.

19. A server connectable to an information processing device via a network, The server a label database and a user database are accessible, a plurality of label data can be registered in the label database, the label data is data that can be printed by a label printer, a plurality of user information can be registered in the user database, the user information is information associated with a user account required for login, and the user information can include printer information that identifies the label printer; The server further comprises: When a download request is received from an information processing device with one of the label data registered in the label database specified, a transmission process is executed to transmit the specified label data to the information processing device; The server further comprises: executing a creation process for creating a group to which the printer information is associated, the group being capable of including as members the user accounts having the printer information included in the user information in common; A server configured to:

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