Information processing system, information processing apparatus, program, and information processing method

Abstract

To provide an information process system, an information process method, a program, and an information process device for providing an two-dimension code for accessing a URL.SOLUTION: An information processing system includes a first output unit that outputs first data including a first two-dimensional code including a first URL different for each destination, and a second output unit that outputs second data including second two-dimensional code including second placement information based on an access history to the first URL and a second URL different for each destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Traditionally, one of the methods of sales promotion has been to send direct mail (printed materials) such as product guides and catalogs to individuals and corporations. Direct mail comes in various forms, such as a single piece of paper such as a postcard or flyer, or an envelope, large envelope, or pamphlet, and all of them are delivered by mail or courier service.

[0003] In recent years, it has become common to include QR codes (registered trademark) in direct mail. In this case, a device that reads the QR code accesses the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) embedded in the QR code and receives information. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] With the conventional technology described above, it is difficult to reflect the information that the person receiving the two-dimensional code is interested in at the time in the next two-dimensional code that is sent, and it is not possible to provide a two-dimensional code that is appropriate for each destination.

[0005] The disclosed technology aims to provide an information processing system, an information processing method, a program, and an information processing device that provide a two-dimensional code for accessing a URL containing information appropriate for each delivery destination. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The disclosed technology is an information processing system having a first output unit that outputs first data including a first two-dimensional code including a first URL that differs for each destination, and a second output unit that outputs second data including second published information based on access history for the first URL and a second two-dimensional code that includes a second URL that differs for each destination. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] It is possible to provide printed matter containing information appropriate for each destination. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration and an outline of an operation according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates a functional configuration of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a first flowchart illustrating processing by the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a destination list storage unit; [Figure 6] 10 is a second flowchart illustrating the processing of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a first printed matter. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a first diagram showing an example of a second printed matter. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a second diagram showing an example of a second printed matter. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a system configuration according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an information processing apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing by an information processing apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration and an outline of an operation according to a third embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an information processing apparatus according to a third embodiment. [Figure 15] 13 is a first flowchart illustrating processing by an information processing apparatus according to a third embodiment. [Figure 16] 13 is a second flowchart illustrating the process of the information processing apparatus according to the third embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first printed matter according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (First embodiment) The first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration and an outline of the operation of the first embodiment.

[0010] The information processing system 100 of this embodiment includes an information processing device 200 and a vehicle information server 300. In the information processing system 100, the information processing device 200 and the vehicle information server 300 communicate with each other via a network or the like. The information processing system 100 of this embodiment also communicates with a history management server 400 that exists on the Internet.

[0011] The information processing device 200 of this embodiment generates image data showing an image to be formed on a recording medium when creating a printed matter to be sent to, for example, a purchaser of a vehicle. The image data generated in the information processing system 100 may be provided to, for example, a company or the like that has an image forming device for printing printed matters.

[0012] The person to whom the printed material is sent is not limited to the purchaser of the vehicle, but may be, for example, a person who is considering purchasing a vehicle or a person who is interested in vehicles.

[0013] In addition, the printed matter in this embodiment specifically refers to items such as postcards or flyers made of a single sheet of paper, or direct mail such as envelopes, large envelopes, or pamphlets, and is delivered by mail, home delivery, etc. to the address indicated by the address information associated with the customer.

[0014] The vehicle information server 300 of this embodiment may be managed by, for example, a company that manufactures vehicles, etc. The vehicle information server 300 has a destination database 310, a customer vehicle database 320, and a provided information database 330.

[0015] Destination database 310 stores destination information including the name and address of the person to whom the printed matter is to be delivered. In the following description, the person to whom the printed matter is to be delivered, as indicated by the destination information stored in destination database 310, may be referred to as a "customer."

[0016] Customer vehicle information relating to vehicles owned by customers is stored in the customer vehicle database 320. Specifically, the customer vehicle information is, for example, information in which destination information is associated with the vehicle type, the time the vehicle was purchased, the time the vehicle was inspected, etc.

[0017] The provided information database 330 stores various information related to vehicles manufactured by the company or the like that manages the vehicle information server 300. In this embodiment, the information to be printed on the printed matter is selected from the information stored in the provided information database 330.

[0018] The information stored in the provided information database 330 specifically includes, for example, images of various vehicles, document data showing vehicle specifications, text data showing messages encouraging vehicle inspections, and the like.

[0019] The databases of the vehicle information server 300 and the information stored in each database are merely examples. The vehicle information server 300 is designed, for example, for each company that manufactures vehicles, and is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1.

[0020] The history management server 400 has an access history database 410. The history management server 400 acquires history information indicating a history of URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) accessed via the Internet or the like by a terminal device 500 that has read a QR code (registered trademark) 11 printed on a printed material 10, for example, and stores the information in the access history database 410.

[0021] The access history managed by the history management server 400 is a history of accesses to URLs of web pages managed by the vehicle information server 300.

[0022] The operation of the information processing system 100 of this embodiment will be outlined below.

[0023] In the information processing system 100, the information processing device 200 first generates image data representing the printed matter 10. Image data (print image data) representing an image to be formed on a recording medium when creating the printed matter 10 is provided to a printing company or the like, and the image is formed on the recording medium to become the printed matter 10.

[0024] A printed matter 10 created by forming an image on a recording medium based on print image data includes a QR code 11, customer destination information 12, and information provided to the customer 13. In the following description, the information 13 printed on the printed matter and provided to the customer may be referred to as published information 13.

[0025] The QR code 11 includes a URL indicating a page on the web that includes information related to the posted information 13. The posted information 13 may also be included in the page specified by this URL.

[0026] The URL included in the QR code 11 also includes destination identification information (hereinafter referred to as a destination ID) associated with the destination information. That is, the QR code 11 of this embodiment is information including a destination ID that identifies the destination of the printed matter 10. The QR code 11 may also be, for example, another two-dimensional code such as a barcode.

[0027] When generating print image data, the information processing device 200 of this embodiment associates the URL included in the QR code 11 with the destination information and stores them in that order. In other words, in this embodiment, the information processing device 200 associates the destination ID included in the QR code 11 with the destination information and stores them in that order.

[0028] When the customer P1 reads the QR code 11 on the printed matter 10 using the terminal device 500 (step S1), the terminal device 500 accesses the URL included in the QR code 11 (step S2).

[0029] At this time, the history management server 400 acquires history information indicating the access history of the terminal device 500 and stores it in the access history database 410 (step S3).

[0030] Also, when customer P1 accesses another URL from the URL included in QR code 11, history information indicating this access history is associated with the URL included in QR code 11 and stored in access history database 410.

[0031] Therefore, the history information indicating the access history of the terminal device 500 is history information associated with the destination ID included in the URL indicated by the QR code 11. Furthermore, the history information can be said to indicate information in which the customer P1, associated with the destination ID, was interested.

[0032] Next, the information processing device 200 acquires history information corresponding to the destination ID from the history management server 400 (step S4). Next, the information processing device 200 analyzes the trends of the customer P1 identified from the destination ID based on the history information corresponding to the destination ID, and acquires information according to the trends of the customer P1 from the vehicle information server 300 as posted information (step S5).

[0033] Then, the information processing device 200 uses the acquired published information to generate and output image data 20G that will be the basis for the printed matter 20 to be presented to the customer P1 again (step S6).

[0034] The printed matter 20 includes a QR code 11A, destination information 12, and posted information 13A. The QR code 11A includes a URL indicating a web page that includes information related to the posted information 13A. The URL also includes a destination ID associated with the destination information 12.

[0035] The destination information 12 on the printed matter 20 is identified from the destination ID associated with the history information, and is therefore the same as the destination information on the printed matter 10. The published information 13A is information acquired in step S5 according to customer trends estimated from the access history associated with the destination ID.

[0036] In this manner, in this embodiment, history information is acquired in which a destination ID specifying the delivery destination of the printed matter 10 is associated with a history of access to the URL. Then, in this embodiment, image data is generated and output that shows the printed matter 20, which includes the published information 13A selected based on the history information, the destination information specified by the destination ID, and the QR code 11A including the URL associated with the destination ID and the published information 13A.

[0037] Therefore, printed matter 20 contains information selected according to the trends of customer P1 based on the access history to the URL indicated by QR code 11 printed on printed matter 10 previously sent to customer P1. In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide printed matter suitable for the person (customer) associated with the destination ID.

[0038] Note that printed matter 10 is an example of a first printed matter, and QR code 11 is an example of a first two-dimensional code. Also, printed matter 20 is an example of a second printed matter, and QR code 11A is an example of a second two-dimensional code. Also, access history database 410 is an example of a history information storage unit, provided information database 330 is an example of a provided information storage unit, and posted information 13A is an example of posted information selected based on the history information. Hereinafter, image data representing an image formed on a recording medium when creating a first printed matter will be referred to as first print image data.

[0039] The hardware configuration of the information processing device 200 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device of the first embodiment.

[0040] The information processing device 200 of this embodiment is constructed by a computer, and as shown in FIG. 2, includes a CPU 201, a ROM 202, a RAM 203, an HD 204, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) controller 205, a display 206, an external device connection I / F (Interface) 208, a network I / F 209, a data bus B1, a keyboard 211, a pointing device 212, a DVD-RW (Digital Versatile Disk Rewritable) drive 214, and a media I / F 216.

[0041] Of these, the CPU 201 controls the overall operation of the information processing device 200. The ROM 202 stores programs used to drive the CPU 201, such as an IPL. The RAM 203 is used as a work area for the CPU 201. The HD 204 stores various data, such as programs. The HDD controller 205 controls the reading and writing of various data from and to the HD 204 under the control of the CPU 201. The display 206 displays various information, such as a cursor, menus, windows, characters, or images. The external device connection I / F 208 is an interface for connecting various external devices. In this case, the external devices are, for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus) memories, printers, etc. The network I / F 209 is an interface for data communication using the communication network N. The data bus B1 is an address bus, data bus, etc. for electrically connecting the components, such as the CPU 201, shown in FIG. 2.

[0042] The keyboard 211 is a type of input means having multiple keys for inputting characters, numbers, various instructions, etc. The pointing device 212 is a type of input means for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving a cursor, etc. The DVD-RW drive 214 controls reading and writing of various data from a DVD-RW 213, which is an example of a removable recording medium. Note that this is not limited to DVD-RW, and may be DVD-R, etc. The media I / F 216 controls reading and writing (storing) of data from a recording medium 215, such as a flash memory.

[0043] The information processing device 200 of this embodiment may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a wearable PC, or the like.

[0044] Next, the functional configuration of the information processing device 200 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing device of the first embodiment.

[0045] The information processing device 200 of this embodiment has a posting information acquisition unit 231, a destination information acquisition unit 232, a history information acquisition unit 233, a trend analysis unit 234, a posting information selection unit 235, a code image generation unit 236, a matching unit 237, an image data generation unit 238, an output unit 239, and a destination list storage unit 240.

[0046] The published information acquisition unit 231 acquires the published information to be published in the printed matter from the provided information database 330 of the vehicle information server 300. The destination information acquisition unit 232 acquires the destination information from the destination database 310 of the vehicle information server 300.

[0047] The history information acquisition unit 233 acquires history information associated with a destination ID for identifying destination information from the history management server 400. The trend analysis unit 234 analyzes the trends of the customer included in the destination information identified by the destination ID, according to the history information.

[0048] The published information selection unit 235 selects the published information to be published in the printed matter according to the results of the analysis by the trend analysis unit 234. Details of the published information selection unit 235 will be described later.

[0049] The code image generation unit 236 generates image data of a QR code to be printed on a printed material. The association unit 237 associates a URL related to the published information included in the QR code generated by the code image generation unit 236 with destination information, and stores the association results in the destination list storage unit 240. That is, the association unit 237 stores in the destination list storage unit 240 a destination list 245 in which destination IDs included in the QR code generated by the code image generation unit 236 are associated with destination information.

[0050] The image data generation unit 238 generates first print image data including the published information selected by the published information selection unit 235, image data of the QR code generated by the code image generation unit 236, and destination information associated with the QR code.

[0051] The output unit 239 outputs the generated first print image data. The output destination of the first print image data may be, for example, an image forming device that forms an image on a recording medium, or an information processing device that manages the image forming device. The output destination of the first print image data may also be a portable recording medium, etc.

[0052] The destination list storage unit 240 stores a destination list 245 that associates the URL included in the QR code with destination information. Details of the destination list storage unit 240 will be described later.

[0053] Next, a description will be given of the posted information selection unit 235. The posted information selection unit 235 of this embodiment includes a trade-in price calculation unit 241 and a difference calculation unit 242.

[0054] The trade-in price calculation unit 241 calculates the trade-in price of a vehicle owned by a customer identified by a destination ID associated with the history information. The trade-in price of the vehicle is calculated based on, for example, information about the vehicle owned by the customer stored in the customer vehicle database 320.

[0055] The difference calculation unit 242 calculates, from the history information, the difference between the price of a vehicle (new car) that the customer identified by the destination ID is presumed to be interested in, or the price of a new car for the customer's current vehicle, and the trade-in price calculated by the trade-in price calculation unit 241.

[0056] In this embodiment, the price calculated by the trade-in price calculation unit 241 and the difference calculation unit 242 may be selected as the published information.

[0057] Next, the operation of the information processing device 200 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a first flowchart illustrating the processing of the information processing device of the first embodiment.

[0058] FIG. 4 shows the process when the information processing device 200 generates the first print image data.

[0059] In the information processing device 200 of this embodiment, the published information selection unit 235 identifies the source of the information (step S401). In this embodiment, the source of the information to be published in the printed matter is the vehicle information server 300. Therefore, the published information acquisition unit 231 accepts input of information for logging in to the vehicle information server 300 from, for example, an administrator of the information processing device 200, and identifies the vehicle information server 300 that is the source of the information.

[0060] Next, the information processing device 200 causes the published information selection unit 235 to select the published information to be published in the printed matter 10, and causes the published information acquisition unit 231 to acquire the selected published information (step S402).

[0061] In this case, since the printed matter 10 is the first printed matter sent to the customer, history information for each destination ID is not stored. Therefore, the published information selection unit 235 selects the published information designated by the administrator of the information processing device 200, and the destination information acquisition unit 232 acquires the selected published information from the provided information database 330.

[0062] Next, the information processing device 200 causes the destination information acquisition unit 232 to acquire, from the customer vehicle database 320, destination information of the customer to whom the printed matter 10 is to be delivered (step S403).

[0063] The destination information acquired here is, for example, destination information of a customer who is likely to be the recipient of the published information specified in step S402, such as a customer whose vehicle is due for inspection soon.

[0064] Next, the information processing device 200 causes the code image generation unit 236 to generate a destination ID that identifies the destination information acquired in step S403, and generates image data of the QR code 11 in which a URL including the destination ID is embedded (step S404). Note that the code image generation unit 236 generates a URL to be embedded in the QR code 11 by adding the destination ID to a URL indicating a web page on which the posted information or information related to the posted information is posted.

[0065] Next, the information processing device 200 generates image data including the published information, the destination information, and image data of the QR code by the image data generating unit 238 (step S405).

[0066] Next, the information processing device 200 causes the associating unit 237 to associate the destination information with the URL included in the QR code 11, and stores the association in the destination list storage unit 240 (step S406).

[0067] Next, the information processing device 200 causes the output unit 239 to output the image data generated in step S405 as first image data representing the printed matter 10 (step S407).

[0068] In this embodiment, by printing this first image data, a printed matter 10 on which a QR code 11, destination information 12, and publication information 13 are printed is generated.

[0069] Next, the destination list storage unit 240 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the destination list storage unit.

[0070] The destination list storage unit 240 of this embodiment holds a destination list 245. The destination list 245 of this embodiment includes information items such as postal code, address, surname, first name, and URL.

[0071] The values ​​of the items "Postal Code" and "Address" are the address to which the printed matter is to be sent, and the values ​​of the items "Last Name" and "First Name" indicate the customer's name. Therefore, the values ​​of the items "Postal Code," "Address," "Last Name," and "First Name" are destination information.

[0072] The value of the item "URL" indicates the URL that is generated by the code image generating unit 236 and embedded in the QR code.

[0073] 5, URL 245A associated with postal code "111-1111" and address "A city, B town..." includes "QRtest001" as character string 245a. This character string 245a becomes a destination ID that identifies the destination information associated with URL 245A.

[0074] Furthermore, URL 245B associated with postal code "222-2222" and address "D City, E Ward..." in destination list 245 includes "QRtest002" as character string 245b. This character string 245b becomes a destination ID that identifies the destination information associated with URL 245B.

[0075] In this way, the information processing device 200 of the present embodiment can acquire history information for each piece of destination information by including a destination ID in the URL included in the QR code and storing the destination ID in association with the destination information.

[0076] Next, another process of the information processing device 200 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a second flowchart illustrating the process of the information processing device of the first embodiment.

[0077] 6 shows the process of generating image data representing an image to be formed on a recording medium when creating a second printed matter, 20, after a first printed matter, 10, has been distributed by information processing device 200. Hereinafter, the image data representing an image to be formed on a recording medium when creating the second printed matter will be referred to as second print image data.

[0078] The process of step S601 in FIG. 6 is the same as the process of step S401 in FIG. 4, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0079] In step S601, when the vehicle information server 300 is identified, the information processing device 200 acquires the destination information by the destination information acquisition unit 232 (step S602). At this time, the destination information acquisition unit 232 may acquire the destination information of the customer to whom the printed matter 10 has been sent. Specifically, the destination information acquisition unit 232 may acquire the destination information stored in the destination list 245 of the destination list storage unit 240.

[0080] Next, the information processing device 200 causes the history information acquisition unit 233 to acquire, from the access history database 410, history information indicating the access history associated with the destination ID that identifies the destination information in the destination list 245 (step S603).

[0081] The access history associated with the destination ID may be, for example, information in which a URL stored in the destination list 245 is associated with a URL accessed subsequently to this URL.

[0082] Next, the information processing device 200 causes the trend analysis unit 234 to analyze the customer's trend from the acquired history information (step S604).

[0083] Specifically, the trend analysis unit 234 determines whether, for example, the history information refers to information on a vehicle other than the vehicle owned by the customer (step S605). If, in step S605, information on a vehicle other than the vehicle owned by the customer is not being referred to, the posted information selection unit 235 selects posted information according to the customer's history information (step S606), and proceeds to step S610, which will be described later.

[0084] In step S605, if the information is for a vehicle other than the one owned by the customer, the information processing device 200 calculates the trade-in price of the vehicle owned by the customer using the trade-in price calculation unit 241 of the published information selection unit 235 (step S607).

[0085] Specifically, the trade-in price calculation unit 241 refers to the customer vehicle database 320 and calculates the trade-in price based on the purchase date, model, etc. of the vehicle owned by the customer.

[0086] Next, the published information selection unit 235 causes the difference calculation unit 242 to calculate the difference between the new car price of the vehicle for which the customer has referred to the information and the trade-in price calculated in step S607 (step S608).

[0087] Next, the posted information selection unit 235 selects the trade-in price, the difference, and the referenced vehicle information as posted information (step S609).

[0088] The processing from step S610 to step S612 in Fig. 6 is the same as the processing from step S404 to step S406 in Fig. 4, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. Following step S612, information processing device 200 causes output unit 239 to output the image data generated in step S611 as second image data representing printed matter 20 (step S613), and ends the processing.

[0089] Examples of printed matter represented by the first print image data generated by the information processing device 200 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0090] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a first printed matter. Fig. 7(A) shows an example of a front side 10A of a printed matter 10 represented by the print image data generated by the process of Fig. 4, and Fig. 7(B) shows an example of a back side 10B of a printed matter 10 represented by the first print image data generated by the process of Fig. 4.

[0091] 7A, destination information 12 and published information 13 are printed on a front surface 10A of the printed matter 10. In the example of FIG. 7, the published information 13 is information notifying the driver of the timing of vehicle inspection.

[0092] On the back side 10B of the printed matter 10 shown in FIG. 7(B), published information 13, which is information notifying the timing of vehicle inspection, and a QR code 11 are printed.

[0093] Fig. 8 is a first diagram showing an example of a second printed matter. Fig. 8(A) shows an example of a front side 20A of the printed matter 20 represented by the image data generated by the process of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8(B) shows an example of a back side 20B of the printed matter 20 represented by the second print image data generated by the process of Fig. 6.

[0094] In addition, the example of Figure 8 shows an example of a second printed matter in the case where the analysis results by the trend analysis unit 234 reveal that a customer identified by the destination ID included in the QR code 11 simply accessed the URL included in the QR code 11 and did not subsequently complete the vehicle inspection procedure.

[0095] 8A, destination information 12 and published information 13A are printed on a front surface 20A of the printed matter 20. In the example of FIG. 8, published information 13A is information notifying the driver that the vehicle inspection date is approaching.

[0096] 7. The destination information 12 is the destination information identified by the destination ID included in the QR code 11, and is the same as the destination information printed on the front surface 10A of the printed matter 10 shown in FIG.

[0097] On the back side 20B of the printed matter 20 shown in FIG. 8(B), printed information 13A notifying the driver that the vehicle inspection is approaching and a QR code 11A are printed.

[0098] This QR code 11A includes a destination ID that identifies the destination information 12, and also has embedded therein a URL that identifies a page on the web that includes the posted information 13A or information related to the posted information 13A.

[0099] Fig. 9 is a second diagram showing an example of a second printed matter. Fig. 9(A) shows an example of a front side 20A-1 of the printed matter 20 represented by the image data generated by the process of Fig. 6, and Fig. 9(B) shows an example of a back side 20B-1 of the printed matter 20 represented by the image data generated by the process of Fig. 6.

[0100] In addition, the example of Figure 8 shows an example of a second printed matter when the analysis results by the trend analysis unit 234 reveal that a customer identified by the destination ID included in the QR code 11 accessed a URL containing information about a new vehicle from the URL included in the QR code 11.

[0101] 9(A) is printed on the front surface 20A-1 of the printed matter 20. In the example of FIG. 9, the posted information 13A-1 is information about a vehicle referenced by a customer corresponding to the destination ID included in the QR code 11. Here, the vehicle whose information is referenced is a vehicle other than the one owned by this customer.

[0102] 7. The destination information 12 is the destination information identified by the destination ID included in the QR code 11, and is the same as the destination information printed on the front surface 10A of the printed matter 10 shown in FIG.

[0103] On the back surface 20B-1 of the printed matter 20 shown in FIG. 9(B), information 13A-2 indicating the trade-in price of the customer's vehicle and information 13A-3 indicating the difference between the trade-in price and the new vehicle are displayed.

[0104] Additionally, multiple QR codes 11A-1 are printed on the back surface 20B-1. Each of the multiple QR codes 11A-1 includes a destination ID that identifies the destination information 12, and also includes an embedded URL that identifies a web page that includes information about the vehicle referenced by the customer or information related to this vehicle.

[0105] In this manner, in this embodiment, customer trends can be identified from history information associated with a destination ID that identifies the delivery destination of the printed matter 10, and another printed matter 20 can be created that includes published information 13A according to the identified trends. Furthermore, the same destination information as that printed on the printed matter 10 is printed on this other printed matter 20.

[0106] Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide printed matter containing information suitable for each person.

[0107] (Second embodiment) A second embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the posted information is not limited to information about vehicles. In the following description of the second embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and components having the same functional configuration as those in the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the first embodiment, and their description will be omitted.

[0108] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of the second embodiment. An information processing system 100A of this embodiment includes an information processing device 200A and an information providing server 300A.

[0109] In the information processing system 100A, the posted information provided from the information providing server 300A to the information processing device 200A is not limited to information about vehicles. The information provided from the information providing server 300A to the information processing device 200A as posted information is, for example, information about various types of products and services such as clothes and food.

[0110] The information providing server 300A includes a destination database 310 and a provided information database 330A. The provided information database 330A stores information that can be published information.

[0111] In the information processing system 100A of this embodiment, the information processing device 200A generates image data representing the printed matter 10a.

[0112] The printed matter 10a has printed thereon a QR code 11, destination information 12, and posted information 13a. The posted information 13a in this embodiment is not limited to information about the vehicle, and may be any information provided by the information providing server 300A.

[0113] Furthermore, the information processing device 200A of this embodiment generates image data showing a printed matter 20a on which posted information 13b selected based on history information associated with the destination ID included in the QR code 11 of the printed matter 10a is printed. The QR code 11a, destination information 12, and posted information 13b are printed on the printed matter 20a. The posted information 13b is not limited to information about the vehicle, and may be any information provided by the information providing server 300A.

[0114] The functional configuration of the information processing device 200A will be described below with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing device of the second embodiment.

[0115] The information processing device 200A of this embodiment has a posting information acquisition unit 231, a destination information acquisition unit 232, a history information acquisition unit 233, an analysis unit 234A, a posting information selection unit 235A, a code image generation unit 236, a matching unit 237, an image data generation unit 238, an output unit 239, and a destination list storage unit 240.

[0116] The analysis unit 234A of this embodiment analyzes the tendency of customer preferences from the acquired history information. Specifically, for example, if the history information associated with the destination ID shows that the customer corresponding to the destination ID has accessed a URL including information about a specific product multiple times, the analysis unit 234A can determine that the customer's preference tends to be that the customer prefers a specific product.

[0117] The posted information selection unit 235A selects posted information from the information stored in the provided information database 330A of the information providing server 300A in accordance with the analysis result by the analysis unit 234A.

[0118] Next, the processing of the information processing device 200A of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the information processing device of the second embodiment.

[0119] The process shown in Fig. 12 is a process for generating second print image data representing the printed matter 20a of Fig. 10. Note that the process for generating image data representing the printed matter 10a is similar to the process shown in Fig. 4, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0120] The processing from step S1201 to step S1203 in FIG. 12 is the same as the processing from step S601 to step S603 in FIG. 6, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0121] When the information processing device 200A acquires the history information in step S1203, the analysis unit 234A analyzes the tendency of the information referenced by the customer (step S1204).

[0122] Subsequently, the information processing device 200A selects the posted information by the posted information selection unit 235A in accordance with the tendency analyzed in step S1204 (step S1205), and proceeds to step S1206.

[0123] The processing from step S1206 to step S1209 in FIG. 12 is the same as the processing from step S610 to step S613 in FIG. 6, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0124] As described above, according to this embodiment, by analyzing history information indicating the access history of a URL associated with a destination ID, it is possible to estimate the preferences of a customer (person) associated with the destination ID.

[0125] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the information to be included in the printed matter 20a sent after the printed matter 10a is selected based on the analysis results of the historical information, so that the matters in which the customer was interested when they received the printed matter 10a can be reflected in the printed matter 20a sent next.

[0126] In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to create a printed matter containing information suitable for the recipient.

[0127] (Third embodiment) A third embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the first printed matter includes information selected for each customer. In the following description of the third embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and components having the same functional configuration as those in the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the first embodiment, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0128] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration and an outline of an operation according to the third embodiment.

[0129] The information processing system 100B of this embodiment includes an information processing device 200B and a storage device 300b. In the information processing system 100B of this embodiment, the information processing device 200B communicates with a vehicle information server 300B via a network or the like. The information processing device 200B also acquires a portion of the information stored in the vehicle information server 300B and stores it in the storage device 300b.

[0130] Therefore, the memory device 300b is an example of a memory unit that stores destination identification information that specifies destination information indicating the destination of the printed matter to be sent to the customer, customer information corresponding to the destination identification information, and published information that is printed on the printed matter and provided to the customer.

[0131] In this embodiment, the vehicle information server 300B is owned by, for example, a seller who sells products. In this embodiment, the products sold are, for example, vehicles and various services related to vehicles, and the seller who owns the vehicle information server 300B is, for example, a car dealer.

[0132] In this embodiment, for example, when a printing company receives a request from a car dealer to create direct mail (printed matter) for purposes such as customer service or sales promotion, the printing company determines the theme of the direct mail. This theme may be determined through discussions between the printing company and the car dealer. Alternatively, the printing company may propose the creation of direct mail to the car dealer and determine the theme of the direct mail in accordance with the car dealer's request.

[0133] Furthermore, the printing company completes the request from the car dealer by printing, via the information processing system 100B, image data of the first printed matter including the information to be posted for each customer related to the determined theme.

[0134] The vehicle information server 300B of this embodiment may be managed by, for example, a company that manufactures vehicles, etc. The vehicle information server 300 has a destination database 310, a customer information database 320A, and a provided information database 330.

[0135] Customer information database 320A stores information about customers, such as the type of vehicle owned by the customer, the time of purchase, the time of vehicle inspection for the vehicle owned by the customer, the trade-in price of the vehicle owned by the customer, and the time when the customer visited the dealership.

[0136] Furthermore, customer information database 320A of this embodiment may store, for each customer, information published in printed matter sent in the past. In other words, customer information database 320A may include information indicating the history of information published in printed matter sent in the past for each customer.

[0137] In the following description, the information stored in the customer information database 320A is referred to as customer information. Furthermore, the customer information is associated with destination information based on, for example, the customer's name.

[0138] The storage device 300b of this embodiment includes a destination information storage unit 310', a customer information storage unit 320A', and a provision information storage unit 330'.

[0139] The destination information storage unit 310' stores part of the destination information stored in the destination database 310 of the vehicle information server 300B. The customer information storage unit 320A' stores part of the customer information stored in the customer information database 320A of the vehicle information server 300B. The provided information storage unit 330' stores part of the provided information stored in the provided information database 330 of the vehicle information server 300B.

[0140] The information processing device 200B acquires the destination information, customer information, and provided information stored in the destination information storage unit 310', customer information storage unit 320A', and provided information storage unit 330', respectively, from the vehicle information server 300B.

[0141] The following provides an overview of the operation of the information processing system 100B of this embodiment.

[0142] In this embodiment, for example, once the theme of the direct mail has been decided, the car dealer selects and outputs information to be provided to the printing company from the destination database 310, customer information database 320A, and provided information database 330 of the vehicle information server 300B based on the theme, to be output to the information processing device 200B or the storage device 300b. The printing company stores the information in the destination information storage unit 310', customer information storage unit 320A', and provided information storage unit 330' of the storage device 300b, respectively (step S0).

[0143] Then, the information processing device 200B uses the information stored in the memory device 300b to select and acquire the published information 13a provided for each customer (step S5'), and generates image data showing the first printed matter 10-1 including the published information 13a.

[0144] The printed matter 10-1 includes published information 13a, a QR code 11, and customer address information 12.

[0145] In this way, in this embodiment, printed matter 10-1 includes published information 13a selected for each customer based on a theme determined by a proposal from the printing company, etc., thereby providing printed matter containing information appropriate for each destination.

[0146] In this embodiment, customer P1 who receives printed material 10-1 obtains information 13A-1 to be published on the next printed material 20-1 to be created based on the access history of terminal device 500 after reading QR code 11 with terminal device 500.

[0147] 13, the information processing system 100B includes the information processing device 200B and the storage device 300b, but is not limited to this. The information processing device 200B and the storage device 300b may be implemented in a single device. Furthermore, the storage device 300b may be implemented by multiple storage devices.

[0148] The information processing device 200B of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing device of the third embodiment.

[0149] The information processing device 200B of this embodiment has a posting information acquisition unit 231, a destination information acquisition unit 232, a history information acquisition unit 233, a trend analysis unit 234, a posting information selection unit 235B, a code image generation unit 236, a matching unit 237, an image data generation unit 238, an output unit 239, a destination list storage unit 240, a request reception unit 246, and an information acquisition unit 250.

[0150] The request receiving unit 246 of this embodiment receives a request to create a printed matter. Specifically, the request receiving unit 246 receives an instruction to create a printed matter. In the following description, the request receiving unit 246 receiving an instruction to create a printed matter may be expressed as receiving a request to create direct mail.

[0151] The information acquisition unit 250 of this embodiment is selected by the car dealer, acquires information output from the vehicle information server 300B, and stores it in each unit of the storage device 300b.

[0152] The posting information selection unit 235B of this embodiment selects posting information to be included in the printed matter from the provided information storage unit 330′ of the storage device 300b. The posting information selected here may be posting information that is in line with the theme of the direct mail.

[0153] Furthermore, the posted information selection unit 235B determines whether the posted information selected in accordance with the analysis result by the trend analysis unit 234 matches the past posted information stored in the customer information storage unit 320A'. If they do not match, the posted information selection unit 235B selects the posted information in accordance with the determination result by the trend analysis unit 234.

[0154] Next, the operation of the information processing device 200B of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 15 and 16. Figure 15 is a first flowchart illustrating the processing of the information processing device of the third embodiment. Figure 15 shows the processing for generating image data representing the printed matter 10-1.

[0155] In the information processing device 200B of this embodiment, the request receiving unit 246 receives a request to create the printed material 10-1 (step S1501).

[0156] At this time, in this embodiment, together with the request for creating the printed matter 10-1, input of information specifying the customer to whom the printed matter 10-1 is to be sent may be accepted.

[0157] In the following, for example, a case where the theme of the direct mail is "vehicle inspection" will be described.

[0158] The information acquisition unit 250 acquires in advance from the vehicle information server 300B the corresponding destination information, customer information, and provided information for vehicles whose inspection period will come within the next six months, and stores this information in the destination information storage unit 310′, customer information storage unit 320A′, and provided information storage unit 330′ of the storage device 300b, respectively (step S1502).

[0159] Next, the information processing device 200B causes the published information selection unit 235 to select the published information to be published in the printed matter 10-1, and causes the published information acquisition unit 231 to acquire the selected published information from the storage device 300b (step S1503).

[0160] Here, since printed matter 10-1 is the first printed matter sent to the customer, history information for each destination ID is not stored. Therefore, the posting information selection unit 235B may select posting information appropriate to the customer from the provided information stored in the provided information storage unit 330′ based on the information identifying the customer received by the request receiving unit 246.

[0161] Specifically, the published information selection unit 235B may acquire customer information from the customer information storage unit 320A' based on information identifying the customer, and select published information from the provided information stored in the provided information storage unit 330' according to the current state of the customer indicated by the acquired customer information. Furthermore, the published information may be selected, for example, by a printing company or the like that has viewed the customer information.

[0162] In addition, the publication information selection unit 235 may acquire the input of the search key "vehicle inspection", such as a word or phrase, entered via the keyboard 221 or the pointing device 212, and acquire the results of searching the storage device 300b using the search key "vehicle inspection".

[0163] At this time, the published information selection unit 235 may acquire destination information, customer information, and provided information that have been acquired by the information acquisition unit 250 within the past three months from the information stored in the storage device 300b and extracted using the search key "vehicle inspection."

[0164] Next, the information processing device 200B causes the destination information acquisition unit 232 to acquire destination information of the customer to whom the printed material 10-1 is to be delivered from the customer information storage unit 320A' of the storage device 300b (step S1504), and proceeds to step S1505.

[0165] Next, the information processing device 200B causes the code image generation unit 236 to generate a destination ID that identifies the destination information acquired in step S1504, and generates image data of the QR code 11 in which a URL including the destination ID is embedded (step S1505). Note that the code image generation unit 236 generates a URL to be embedded in the QR code 11 by adding the destination ID to a URL indicating a web page on which the posted information or information related to the posted information is posted.

[0166] Next, the information processing device 200B generates image data including the published information, the destination information, and image data of the QR code by the image data generating unit 238 (step S1506).

[0167] Next, the information processing device 200B causes the associating unit 237 to associate the destination information with the URL included in the QR code 11, and stores the association in the destination list storage unit 240 (step S1507).

[0168] Next, the information processing device 200 causes the output unit 239 to output the image data generated in step S1506 as first print image data representing the printed matter 10-1 (step S1508).

[0169] In the example of FIG. 15, the process from when the request receiving unit 246 receives a request to create a printed matter to when the image data is output is considered to be a series of processes, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0170] In this embodiment, the process by the information acquisition unit 250 of acquiring information from the vehicle information server 300B and storing it in the storage device 300b (the process of step S1502) may be executed independently of the process of generating image data for the printout.

[0171] In other words, the process of step S1502 by the information acquisition unit 250 may be executed periodically as a preliminary process for generating image data for a printout.

[0172] Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 250 may acquire the information from the vehicle information server 300B by communication via a network or the like, and the method of acquiring the information by the information acquisition unit 250 is not limited to this. The information of the vehicle information server 300B may be stored in a portable recording medium or the like, and the information acquisition unit 250 may read and acquire the information from the portable recording medium.

[0173] Next, the process performed by the information processing device 200B when generating image data representing the printed material 20-1 will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a second flowchart illustrating the process performed by the information processing device of the third embodiment.

[0174] In the information processing device 200B of this embodiment, the request receiving unit 246 receives a request to create the printed material 20-1 (step S1601). Specifically, the request receiving unit 246 receives an input of an instruction to create the printed material 20-1. At this time, the information processing device 200B does not need to perform information acquisition by the information acquisition unit 250 because the information acquired from the vehicle information server 300B is stored in the storage device 300b.

[0175] Next, the information processing device 200B acquires the destination information by the destination information acquisition unit 232 (step S1602). At this time, the destination information acquisition unit 232 may acquire the destination information of the customer to whom the printed matter 10 has been sent. Specifically, the destination information acquisition unit 232 may acquire the destination information stored in the destination list 245 of the destination list storage unit 240.

[0176] Next, the information processing device 200B causes the history information acquiring unit 233 to acquire, from the access history database 410, history information indicating the access history associated with the destination ID that identifies the destination information in the destination list 245 (step S1603).

[0177] Next, the information processing device 200B causes the trend analysis unit 234 to analyze the customer's trend from the acquired history information (step S1604).

[0178] Subsequently, the information processing device 200B selects, by the posted information selection unit 235B, posted information according to the customer's history information (step S1605).

[0179] At this time, the car dealer may be asked to confirm whether the information selected based on the history information is suitable for the printed matter 20-1. Specifically, a confirmation screen including the selected information and destination information may be displayed on a terminal or the like carried by the car dealer.

[0180] Next, the posting information selection unit 235B refers to the customer information storage unit 320A' in the storage device 300b and determines whether the selected posting information matches the posting information of a past printed matter (step S1606). Specifically, the posting information selection unit 235B determines whether the posting information selected according to the customer history information matches the posting information 13a of the printed matter 10-1.

[0181] If it is determined in step S1606 that the information matches with the previously posted information, information processing device 200B causes posted information selection unit 235B to select other posted information (step S1607), and returns to step S1606.

[0182] In this embodiment, the other posted information may be, as in the second embodiment, information indicating the difference between the trade-in price of the vehicle owned by the customer and the new car price and trade-in price of the vehicle for which the customer has referenced information.

[0183] If it is determined in step S1606 that the information does not match with the previously posted information, information processing device 200B proceeds to step S1608.

[0184] The processing from step S1608 to step S1611 in FIG. 16 is the same as the processing from step S610 to step S613 in FIG. 6, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0185] As described above, in this embodiment, when image data showing the printed matter 20-1 is generated, the image data is made to include information that differs from the information that was published on the printed matter 10-1 sent in the past.

[0186] In this embodiment, the printed matter 10-1 that is first sent to the customer also includes the publication information 13a selected for each customer.

[0187] Therefore, in this embodiment, printed materials on which information suited to the customer's situation is printed can be sent to the customer one after another.

[0188] Here, printed matter 10-1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 17. Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a first printed matter of the third embodiment. Fig. 17(A) shows an example of a front side 10A-1 of printed matter 10-1 represented by image data generated by the process of Fig. 15, and Fig. 17(B) shows an example of a back side 10B-1 of printed matter 10-1 represented by image data generated by the process of Fig. 15.

[0189] 17(A), posted information 13a is displayed on both the front side 10A-1 and the back side 10A-1. This posted information 13a is information encouraging a vehicle inspection. Therefore, in this case, when the request for production of printed matter 10-1 was accepted, it can be seen that information relating to an urgent vehicle inspection for the customer was selected as posted information from the provided information storage unit 330′ of the storage device 300b.

[0190] Furthermore, the back side 10A-1 of the printed matter 10-1 includes information 14 about the vehicle owned by the customer. In other words, the printed matter 10-1 includes customer information about the customer to whom the printed matter 10-1 is to be delivered.

[0191] In this embodiment, the published information is selected for each destination of the printed matter 10-1 in this manner. Also, in this embodiment, the printed matter 20-1 (see FIG. 9) including the published information selected based on the history information is sent to each destination.

[0192] Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to sequentially send to each customer printed materials containing different information each time, selected according to the customer's trends.

[0193] Specifically, according to this embodiment, the printing company can extract information that is likely to interest the customer from various types of information about the customer obtained from the car dealer, and release different information in small amounts in the first direct mail and the next direct mail.

[0194] Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the appeal of direct mail from being reduced due to the amount of information included in the direct mail being too large.

[0195] The functions of the above-described embodiments can be realized by one or more processing circuits. Here, the term "processing circuit" in this specification includes a processor programmed to execute each function by software, such as a processor implemented by an electronic circuit, as well as devices such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and conventional circuit modules designed to execute each of the above-described functions.

[0196] Additionally, the device described in each embodiment represents only one of multiple computing environments for implementing the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0197] In one embodiment, the information processing device 200 includes multiple computing devices, such as a server cluster, configured to communicate with each other over any type of communication link, including a network, shared memory, etc., and to perform the processes disclosed herein. Similarly, a terminal device can include multiple computing devices configured to communicate with each other. Furthermore, the information processing device and the terminal device can be configured to share the disclosed process steps in various combinations.

[0198] Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the requirements shown in the above embodiments. These requirements can be changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and can be appropriately determined depending on the application form. [Explanation of symbols]

[0199] 10, 10a, 20, 20a Printed materials 100, 100A Information Processing System 200, 200A Information processing equipment 231 Publication Information Acquisition Department 232 Destination information acquisition unit 233 History Information Acquisition Unit 234 Trend Analysis Department 234A Analysis Department 235, 235A, 235B Publication Information Selection Section 236 Code Image Generation Unit 237 Mapping Section 238 Image data generation unit 239 Output Section 240 Destination list storage unit 246 Request Reception Department 250 Information Acquisition Department 300 Vehicle information server 300A Information Server 310 Destination Database 320 customer vehicle database 330, 330A Provision Information Database 400 History Management Server 410 Access History Database [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0200] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-003748 [Patent Document 2] WO2007 / 088643 publication

Claims

1. a first output unit that outputs first data including a first two-dimensional code including a first URL that is different for each destination; and a second output unit that outputs second data including second published information based on the access history for the first URL and a second two-dimensional code including a second URL that differs for each destination.

2. the first URL is a URL obtained by adding destination identification information corresponding to the delivery destination to a URL associated with the first published information to be provided to the delivery destination, 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the second URL is a URL obtained by adding destination identification information corresponding to the delivery destination to a URL associated with the second published information.

3. the first data is first print image data for printing a first printed matter, the second data is second print image data for printing a second printed matter, 3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first print image data and the second print image data further include the delivery destination.

4. 4. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a published information selection unit that selects the second published information based on an access history to a first URL included in the first two-dimensional code.

5. An information processing method by a computer, comprising: outputting first data including a first two-dimensional code including a first URL that is different for each destination; An information processing method that outputs second data including second published information based on an access history to the first URL and a second two-dimensional code including a second URL that differs for each destination.

6. outputting first data including a first two-dimensional code including a first URL that is different for each destination; A program that causes a computer to execute a process of outputting second data including second published information based on an access history to the first URL and a second two-dimensional code including a second URL that is different for each destination.

7. a first output unit that outputs first data including a first two-dimensional code including a first URL that is different for each destination; and a second output unit that outputs second data including second published information based on the access history of the first URL and a second two-dimensional code including a second URL that is different for each destination.

8. the first URL is a URL obtained by adding destination identification information corresponding to the delivery destination to a URL associated with the first published information to be provided to the delivery destination, The information processing device according to claim 7 , wherein the second URL is a URL obtained by adding destination identification information corresponding to the delivery destination to a URL associated with the second published information.

9. the first data is first print image data for printing a first printed matter, the second data is second print image data for printing a second printed matter, The information processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the first print image data and the second print image data further include the delivery destination.

10. The information processing device according to claim 7 , further comprising a published information selection unit that selects the second published information based on an access history to a first URL included in the first two-dimensional code.

Images