Server and method

Abstract

To determine a preferable image as an advertisement image when printing the advertisement image.SOLUTION: The server acquires price information indicating an advertisement price of each of a plurality of candidate images that are candidates for an advertisement image. The advertisement price is an amount of money obtained from the client of the advertisement when the candidate image is printed as the advertisement image. The server acquires model information indicating the model of a printer for printing the advertisement image, and acquires color material information on the amount of color material used for printing the candidate image by using the model information. The server acquires first color material information when the model of the printer is a first model, and acquires second color material information different from the first color material information when the model of the printer is a second model. The server is configured to determine one or more advertisement images from among the plurality of candidate images by using the price information and the color material information acquired by using the model information, and to execute processing for causing the printer to print a print image including the determined advertisement image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD This specification relates to techniques for printing advertising images. [Background technology]

[0002] In the system described in Patent Document 1, a server combines main print data and advertising data to generate combined print data and transmits it to an image forming device. The image forming device prints using the combined print data and notifies the server of the number of prints. The server calculates and manages cost reduction points according to the number of prints. When the cost reduction points reach a predetermined number, a marking agent is sent to the user of the image forming device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special publication No. 2003-178236 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above-mentioned technology does not provide sufficient ingenuity in determining the advertising image to be printed, and there is a possibility that a desirable image will not be determined as the advertising image.

[0005] This specification discloses a new technique that can determine a preferred image as an advertising image when printing an advertising image. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The techniques disclosed in this specification can be implemented in the following application examples.

[0007] [Application Example 1] A server comprising: a first acquisition unit that acquires price information indicating an advertising price for each of a plurality of candidate images that are candidates for advertising images, the advertising price being consideration for printing the candidate images as the advertising images; a second acquisition unit that acquires model information indicating a model of a printer that is to print the advertising images; a third acquisition unit that uses the model information to acquire color material information regarding an amount of color material to be used to print the candidate images, the third acquisition unit acquiring first color material information if the printer model is a first model, and acquiring second color material information different from the first color material information if the printer model is a second model; an image determination unit that uses the price information and the color material information acquired using the model information to determine one or more of the advertising images from among the plurality of candidate images; and a print processing unit that executes processing to have a printer print a print image including the determined advertising images.

[0008] Color material information regarding the amount of color material used for printing may differ depending on the printer model. According to the above configuration, an advertising image is determined from multiple candidate images using price information indicating the advertising price and color material information regarding the amount of color material used to print the candidate image. The color material information is determined using model information, and if the printer model is a first model, first color material information is acquired, and if the printer model is a second model, second color material information different from the first color material information is acquired. As a result, the advertising image can be determined taking into account the color material information according to the printer model used for printing. Therefore, when printing the advertising image, a preferred image can be determined as the advertising image.

[0009] The technology disclosed in this specification can be realized in various forms, such as a method for printing advertising images, a communication system including a printer for printing advertising images and a server, a computer program for realizing the functions of these servers, methods, and communication systems, and a recording medium on which the computer program is recorded. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system 1000 according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is an illustration of a printer and server database. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a first sequence diagram showing the operation of the advertisement printing process. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a second sequence diagram showing the operation of the advertisement printing process. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a third sequence diagram showing the operation of the advertisement printing process. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart of a successful bid process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a table showing an example of bid prices and revised bid prices. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system 1000B according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart of a successful bid process according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A. First Example A-1. Configuration of System 1000 Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system 1000 according to a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of printer and server databases. Fig. 2 shows an excerpt of some of the information related to the embodiment that is stored in various databases, which will be described later.

[0012] The system 1000 includes a management server 100, a remote printing server 200, an advertisement distribution server 300, bidding servers 400A-400C, and a printer 500. These devices 100, 200, 300, 400A-400C, and 500 are all connected to the Internet IT and are capable of communicating via the Internet IT.

[0013] Printer 500 is a device that prints by consuming ink as a consumable item, and is used for utilizing a service (e.g., an advertising distribution service) for which a user has a contract. Printer 500 includes a CPU 510 as a controller for printer 500, a volatile storage device 520 such as DRAM, and a non-volatile storage device 530 such as a hard disk or flash memory. Printer 500 also includes a display unit 540 such as a liquid crystal display for displaying images, an operation unit 550 such as buttons or a touch panel for acquiring user operations, a printing mechanism 570, and a communication interface (IF) 580.

[0014] The communication IF 580 is an interface for connecting to the Internet IT, for example, a wired interface conforming to Ethernet (registered trademark) or a wireless interface conforming to the Wi-Fi standard.

[0015] The CPU 510 is a computing device (processor) that processes data. The volatile storage device 520 provides a buffer area for temporarily storing various intermediate data generated when the CPU 510 performs processing. The non-volatile storage device 530 stores a computer program PGp for controlling the printer 500 and a database DBp in which various information, described below, is recorded.

[0016] In this embodiment, the computer program PGp is ​​provided by being stored in advance in the nonvolatile storage device 530 at the time of manufacturing the printer 500. Alternatively, the computer program PGp may be provided, for example, in a form downloaded from a server connected via the Internet IT, or in a form recorded on a USB memory stick, a DVD-ROM, or the like.

[0017] The CPU 510 executes the computer program PGp to perform various processes for controlling the printer 500. For example, the CPU 510 controls the printing mechanism 570 to perform a printing process that causes the printing mechanism 570 to print an image. The CPU 510 also communicates with the management server 100 and the remote printing server 200 to perform processes related to the advertisement printing process, which will be described later.

[0018] The printing mechanism 570 is an inkjet printing mechanism. The printing mechanism 570 is equipped with a print head formed with nozzles for ejecting ink. The printing mechanism 570 prints on a printing substrate such as paper by ejecting multiple types of ink, for example, cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) ink from the nozzles under the control of the CPU 510. In this embodiment, ink cartridges CI, MI, YI, and KI containing ink of each color, C, M, Y, and K, are detachably attached to the printing mechanism 570. Alternatively, the printing mechanism 570 may be an electrophotographic printing mechanism that prints images using toner contained in a toner cartridge as a coloring material.

[0019] As can be seen from the above explanation, the printer 500 is a color printer capable of printing using an achromatic ink (K ink) and two or more chromatic inks (CMY inks) as color materials.

[0020] 2A shows an overview of the database DBp of the printer 500. The database DBp stores various information indicating setting information and status information (status) related to the printer 500.

[0021] Database DBp stores information indicating the remaining amount of ink. Specifically, database DBp stores information indicating the remaining amount of each of the CMYK inks. Each time printing is performed, CPU 510 calculates the amount of ink consumed and detects the amount of remaining ink using a remaining ink sensor, thereby updating the information indicating the remaining amount of ink.

[0022] The management server 100, the remote printing server 200, and the advertisement distribution server 300 are, for example, computers, such as cloud servers, operated by a business operator that operates multiple types of services described below (for example, a business operator that manufactures and sells the printer 500).

[0023] The management server 100 is a server that manages users and printers (e.g., printer 500) used for multiple types of services. The multiple types of services are services provided using printers, and include an advertisement distribution service and a remote printing service.

[0024] The advertisement distribution service is a service provided by the advertisement distribution server 300 and the bidding servers 400A-400C. The advertisement distribution service is a service that distributes advertisements to users of the printer 500 by causing the printer 500 to print an image including one or more advertisement images at a predetermined distribution timing, in this embodiment, once a day at a fixed time.

[0025] In the narrow sense, advertising can mean informing people about a product or service for the purpose of promotion. However, in this specification, advertising is not limited to promotional purposes and refers generally to anything that an advertiser pays an advertising fee to inform people (in this example, printer users). An advertising image refers to an image showing the information to be advertised. Therefore, in this specification, advertising images are not limited to images showing information for the purpose of promoting a product or service provided by the advertiser, but also include images showing various information provided by the advertiser (for example, weather information, traffic information, or the advertiser's own work).

[0026] The remote printing service is a service provided by the remote printing server 200. The remote printing service is a service in which a user sends an image file stored on a server or a mobile terminal to the remote printing server 200, and the image file is printed by a printer (e.g., printer 500) via the remote printing server 200. A user of the remote printing service is assumed to be, for example, a printer user, but in this embodiment, the advertisement distribution server 300 uses the remote printing service to cause the printer to print an advertisement image.

[0027] The multiple types of services managed by management server 100 may further include various other services. For example, in this embodiment, the multiple types of services managed include an ink management service provided by a server (not shown). The ink management service manages the remaining amount of ink in the managed printers and delivers ink cartridges or ink bottles to users according to ink consumption.

[0028] The management server 100 includes a CPU 110 as a controller of the management server 100, a volatile storage device 120 such as a DRAM, a non-volatile storage device 130 such as a hard disk or flash memory, and a communication IF 180. The communication IF 180 is, for example, a wired interface that complies with Ethernet (registered trademark).

[0029] The CPU 110 is a computing device (processor) that processes data. The volatile storage device 120 provides a buffer area for temporarily storing various intermediate data generated when the CPU 110 performs processing. The non-volatile storage device 130 stores a computer program PGm and a database DBm.

[0030] The computer program PGm is provided, for example, in the form of being uploaded by a service provider. The CPU 110 of the management server 100 executes the computer program PGm to perform various processes (described later) related to multiple types of services to be managed.

[0031] 2(B) shows an overview of the database DBm of the management server 100. The database DBm stores user IDs that identify users who use multiple types of services that are managed.

[0032] The database DBm further stores affiliated user IDs and device IDs in association with the user IDs. The affiliated user ID is a user ID assigned by a portal site used by the user (e.g., a site operated by a service provider such as Yahoo (registered trademark), Google (registered trademark), or Microsoft (registered trademark). The device ID is an ID that identifies a printer (e.g., printer 500) used when using multiple types of managed services. For example, when a user uses one of the multiple types of services for the first time, the user accesses the management server 100 using his or her own terminal device (not shown) and applies for use. The user ID is generated by the management server 100 at the time of the application for use and assigned to the user. The affiliated service ID and device ID are recorded in the database DBm of the management server 100, for example, based on input by the user at the time of the application for use.

[0033] The database DBm further stores contracted service information and bonus point information in association with the user ID. The contracted service information is information indicating the type of service to which the user has contracted. The bonus point information is information indicating the bonus points granted to the user. Bonus points are used instead of money, for example, when paying for the usage fees of paid services used by the user or for purchasing printer consumables (e.g., ink and toner).

[0034] The remote printing server 200 includes a CPU 210, a volatile storage device 220, a non-volatile storage device 230, and a communication IF 280, similar to those of the management server 100. The non-volatile storage device 230 stores a computer program PGr and a database DBr.

[0035] The computer program PGr is provided, for example, in the form of being uploaded by a business operator that operates a remote printing service. The CPU 210 of the remote printing server 200 executes the computer program PGr to perform processing for realizing the remote printing service. For example, the CPU 210 generates a print job for printing an image using image data transmitted from a device that uses the remote printing service (a user's terminal device or the advertisement distribution server 300). The CPU 210 transmits the generated print job to a printer, causing the printer to execute printing.

[0036] FIG. 2C shows an overview of the database DBr of the remote print server 200. The database DBr stores at least device information (e.g., device ID and device token) required to send a print job to a destination device. In this embodiment, the user of the printer 500 has a contract to use an advertisement distribution service. The advertisement distribution service uses a remote printing service to print advertisement images. For this reason, when the user signs a contract for the advertisement distribution service, the device information of the printer 500 is stored in the database DBr.

[0037] The advertisement delivery server 300 includes a CPU 310, a volatile storage device 320, a nonvolatile storage device 330, and a communication IF 380, similar to those of the management server 100. The nonvolatile storage device 330 stores a computer program PGa and a database DBa.

[0038] The computer program PGa is provided, for example, in the form of being uploaded by a business operator that operates an advertisement distribution service. The CPU 310 of the advertisement distribution server 300 executes the computer program PGa to function as a distribution control unit DC and an advertisement space sales unit AS.

[0039] The advertising space sales unit AS mainly communicates with the bidding servers 400A-400B, executes an auction process from the standpoint of selling advertising space, and determines a successful bidder for the advertising space. The advertising image of the successful bidder is determined as the advertising image to be printed. The advertising space sales unit AS includes multiple ink cost calculation units IE, specifically, first to third ink cost calculation units IE1-IE3. The ink cost calculation unit IE is a functional unit that calculates the ink cost required to print an image using a printer. The required ink cost is the price of the ink for the amount of ink used to print the image. Each ink cost calculation unit IE corresponds to a specific printer manufacturer. That is, the first ink cost calculation unit IE1 calculates the ink cost required to print an image using a printer manufactured by the first manufacturer. The second ink cost calculation unit IE2 and the third ink cost calculation unit IE3 calculate the ink cost required to print an image using a printer manufactured by the second manufacturer and the third manufacturer, respectively.

[0040] The computer program (program module) that realizes each ink cost calculation unit IE is, for example, released by the manufacturer corresponding to the ink cost calculation unit IE. The ink cost calculation unit IE is realized, for example, by incorporating the program module into the computer program PGa.

[0041] The distribution control unit DC executes processes other than the auction process executed by the advertising space sales unit AS among the processes for realizing the advertising distribution service, such as processes involving communication with the printer 500, the remote printing server 200, and the management server 100.

[0042] 2(D) shows an overview of the database DBa of the advertisement delivery server 300. The database DBa stores various information required for the delivery control unit DC and the advertisement space sales unit AS to realize the advertisement delivery service.

[0043] The database DBa records the IDs of users who are registered in the management server 100 and who have signed a contract to use the advertisement distribution service.

[0044] The database DBa further stores affiliated user IDs and device information in association with the user IDs. The affiliated user IDs are user IDs assigned by the portal site used by the user, as described above. The affiliated user IDs are used when the advertising space sales department AS executes the auction process, as described below.

[0045] The device information includes information about the printer that is to print the advertisement image (for example, a device ID and a device token). The device information further includes model information. The model information is, for example, information indicating the model of the printer that is to print the advertisement image. The model information includes, for example, the name of the printer manufacturer and the name of the model.

[0046] The database DBa also stores distribution setting information in association with the user ID and device information. The distribution setting information is various setting information related to the advertisement distribution service, and includes, for example, information indicating the distribution time and information indicating the print settings to be used when printing the advertisement image.

[0047] When a user uses the advertisement distribution service, the user accesses the management server 100 using, for example, a terminal device (not shown) and applies for use of the advertisement distribution service. In response to the application, a contract process for the advertisement distribution service is executed between the terminal device and the management server 100. After the contract process, the CPU 310 of the advertisement distribution server 300 acquires the user ID and the various pieces of information associated with the user ID from the management server 100 and records them in the database DBa. In this embodiment, the user of the printer 500 has signed a contract to use the advertisement distribution service. For this purpose, the database DBa stores the above-mentioned affiliated user ID, device information, and distribution setting information associated with the user ID of the printer 500.

[0048] The database DBa also stores standard ink cost information. The standard ink cost information is information that is referenced by the ink cost calculation unit IE when calculating the required ink cost. Details of the standard ink cost information will be described later.

[0049] The bidding server 400A includes a CPU 410, a volatile storage device 420, a non-volatile storage device 430, and a communication IF 480, similar to those of the management server 100. The non-volatile storage device 430 stores a computer program PGb and a database DBb. In this embodiment, the bidding server 400A is operated by an operator that operates a portal site that issues affiliated user IDs.

[0050] The computer program PGb is provided, for example, in the form of being uploaded by the business operator that operates the bid server 400A. The CPU 410 of the bid server 400A executes the computer program PGb to function as a bid control unit BC and a consumer information management unit CM.

[0051] The bidding control unit BC communicates with the advertisement distribution server 300 and executes the auction process from the perspective of a bidder who is seeking to purchase an advertisement space. That is, the bidding control unit BC mainly executes the process for winning a bid for the advertisement space based on a request from an advertiser. The consumer information management unit CM manages consumer information (described later) that is recorded in association with an affiliated user ID.

[0052] FIG. 2(E) shows an overview of database DBb of bidding server 400A. Database DBb stores advertising images submitted by advertisers, advertising information, and the affiliated user IDs and consumer information described above. Advertising image data has a known data format, such as JPEG or PNG. Advertising images are either monochrome advertising images printed using one color of ink (usually black ink) or color advertising images printed using multiple colors of ink (for example, four colors of ink: CMYK).

[0053] The advertising information is, for example, information related to an advertising image. The advertising information includes, for example, type information indicating the type of the advertising image (monochrome or color), target information indicating the target (customer) to whom the advertising image should be delivered, and maximum price information indicating the maximum price that the advertiser is willing to pay when the advertising image is printed. The advertising information is provided, for example, by the advertiser when the advertising image is submitted.

[0054] Consumer information is information about the consumption behavior of a user who has an associated affiliated user ID. The consumer information is generated based on history information such as search history on a portal site, advertisement reference history, and browsing and purchasing history on a website. The consumer information may include, for example, information about the user's areas of interest, product information, and user attributes (e.g., age group, gender, purchasing power).

[0055] The bid servers 400B and 400C have the same configuration as the bid server 400A described above.

[0056] A-2. Operation of System 1000 Next, the operation of the system 1000 will be described. The system 1000 executes an advertisement printing process that causes a printer (e.g., printer 500) of a user who has subscribed to the advertisement distribution service to print an advertisement image. FIGS. 3 to 5 are sequence diagrams showing the operation of the advertisement printing process. The advertisement printing process is started by the distribution control unit DC of the advertisement distribution server 300 when a predetermined start condition is satisfied. The predetermined start condition is, for example, when a predetermined time has come.

[0057] In S6, the distribution control unit DC of the advertisement distribution server 300 requests the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the advertisement image from the advertisement space sales unit AS. When making the request, the distribution control unit DC passes page information and model information to the advertisement space sales unit AS. The page information includes, for example, information indicating the size and number of sheets of paper on which the advertisement image will be printed. In this embodiment, the page information indicates that the advertisement image will be printed on one A4 sheet of paper. The model information is information indicating the model of the printer used to print the advertisement image. In this embodiment, the distribution control unit DC obtains model information of the printer 500 from the database DBa and passes it to the advertisement space sales unit AS.

[0058] When the advertising space sales unit AS receives a request for the URL of the advertising image, it sets the advertisement solicitation conditions in S8. The solicitation conditions include, for example, the layout pattern of the advertising image in the print image and the minimum bid price. In this embodiment, the solicitation conditions are set to predetermined conditions.

[0059] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of arrangement patterns. In this embodiment, advertisements are solicited using two types of arrangement patterns (first pattern and second pattern). FIGS. 6(A) and (B) show examples of advertisement templates. In this embodiment, in one advertisement printing process, the printer 500 prints an image that fits on one sheet of paper of a predetermined size (e.g., A4). Advertisement templates PTa and PTb are templates for creating a print image that fits on one sheet of paper. Advertisement template PTa in FIG. 6(A) is used when the first pattern is adopted. Advertisement template PTb in FIG. 6(B) is used when the second pattern is adopted.

[0060] In the first pattern, one ad space AFa is placed per sheet of paper. The ad space AFa is slightly smaller than the size of the paper. In the second pattern, eight ad spaces AFb are placed per sheet of paper. The eight ad spaces AFb are the same size. The size of the ad space AFb in the second pattern is approximately 1 / 8 the size of the ad space AFa in the first pattern. As will be described later, one of the first and second patterns is ultimately adopted, and therefore the first and second patterns can be said to be candidate patterns that are candidates for the arrangement pattern.

[0061] The minimum bid price is a predetermined price determined according to the size of the advertising space. For example, the minimum bid price for the second pattern advertising space AFb is 1 / 8 of the minimum bid price for the second pattern advertising space AFa.

[0062] In S10, the advertising space sales unit AS transmits a bid request to the bidding servers 400A-400C. Similar processing is performed between the advertising delivery server 300 (advertising space sales unit AS) and each of the bidding servers 400A-400C. For this reason, in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bidding servers 400A-400C are not distinguished from each other, and processing is described as being between the advertising delivery server 300 and the bidding server 400. Note that communication between the advertising space sales unit AS of the advertising delivery server 300 and the bidding control unit BC of the bidding server 400 is performed in accordance with a protocol called OpenRTB. RTB is an abbreviation for "Real Time Bidding."

[0063] The bid request includes slot information, minimum bid price information, and affiliated user ID. The slot information is, for example, the size (number of pixels in the vertical or horizontal direction) of the advertising slots AFa and AFb determined in S8. The minimum bid price information is information indicating the minimum bid price determined in S8. The affiliated user ID is an affiliated user ID associated with the user ID of the user of the printer 500.

[0064] When the bidding server 400 receives the bid request, the bidding control unit BC of the bidding server 400 acquires the bid request. In S12, the bidding control unit BC requests consumer information from the consumer information management unit CM. When requesting the consumer information, the bid control unit BC passes the affiliated user ID included in the bid request, i.e., the affiliated user ID of the user of the printer 500, to the consumer information management unit CM.

[0065] When the consumer information management unit CM receives the request for consumer information, in S14 it obtains the consumer information associated with the affiliated user ID of the user of the printer 500 from the database DBb and passes it to the bidding control unit BC.

[0066] When the bidding control unit BC receives the consumer information, in S16 it determines the advertising space to be bid on in response to the bid request, the bid price, and the advertising image to be printed using the advertising space if the advertising space is successful through the bid. The advertising space to be bid on is selected from the advertising spaces AFa and AFb described above. The bid price is determined to be a price equal to or higher than the minimum bid price included in the bid request. The advertising image to be printed and the bid price are determined from multiple advertising images that have been submitted and stored in database DBa. The advertising image and bid price are determined taking into consideration the minimum bid price, the advertising information described above (target information, upper limit price information, type information), the consumer information acquired in S14, the printing history of each advertising image, etc.

[0067] After determining the advertising space, bid price, and advertising image for the bid, the bid control unit BC transmits a bid notification to the advertisement delivery server 300 in S18. The bid notification is transmitted as a response to the bid request received in S10. The bid notification includes a bid ID, bid space information indicating the advertising space for which the bid is being made, the bid price, and an advertising image URL. The advertising image URL is a URL indicating the location of an advertising image to be printed using the advertising space if the bid for the advertising space is successful. Note that the bid control unit BC may determine the advertising space, advertising image, and bid price for each of multiple bids in S16, and transmit multiple bid notifications to the advertisement delivery server 300.

[0068] The advertisement delivery server 300 transmits bid requests to the plurality of bidding servers 400A-400C in S10, and may receive one or more bid notifications from each of the plurality of bidding servers 400-400C in S18. In this embodiment, the advertisement delivery server 300 receives more bid notifications than the number of advertisement slots.

[0069] In S20, the advertising space sales unit AS of the advertising distribution server 300 transmits an advertising image request (e.g., an HTTP request) addressed to the advertising image URL included in each bid notification. In this embodiment, the advertising image URL indicates the advertising image data stored in the database DBb of the bidding server 400, and therefore the advertising image request is transmitted to the bidding server 400. When the bidding server 400 receives the advertising image request, the bidding control unit BC of the bidding server 400 acquires the advertising image request.

[0070] In S22, the bidding control unit BC transmits data of the advertising image specified by the advertising image URL to the advertisement distribution server 300 as a response to the advertising image request. As a result, the advertising space sales unit AS acquires advertising images corresponding to one or more bid notifications. If the number of notified bids is L (L is an integer greater than or equal to 1), L advertising images are acquired. At this stage, it has not been decided whether these L advertising images will be printed as advertising images. From among the L advertising images, the advertising images to be actually printed are determined. In this way, the L advertising images acquired at this stage are candidates for advertising images to be printed, and are therefore also referred to as candidate images. Furthermore, the bid price included in the notified bid notification is consideration for printing the candidate image as an advertising image, and is also referred to as the advertising price of the candidate image. Here, the advertising price may be the amount that the distribution company receives as consideration when the candidate image is printed as an advertising image. Alternatively, the advertising price may be the amount that the advertising client pays as consideration when the candidate image is printed as an advertising image. Here, the advertising client refers to the advertiser or a business (e.g., a bidding business) that bids on the advertisement and makes payments to the distribution business on behalf of the advertiser. The amount that the distribution business receives as the consideration and the amount that the advertising client pays as the consideration may be the same or different depending on, for example, whether or not there is an intermediary margin and how taxes are handled.

[0071] In S24 of Fig. 4, the advertising space sales unit AS executes a successful bid process. The successful bid process is a process for determining a successful bidder and a successful bid price. The successful bidder is an advertiser who acquires the right to purchase advertising space. Fig. 7 is a flowchart of the successful bid process in the first embodiment.

[0072] In S205, the advertising space sales unit AS selects one calculation unit to use from among the multiple ink cost calculation units IE (IE1-IE3 in FIG. 1) based on the model information already acquired in S6. As described above, the model information includes information indicating the manufacturer of the printer 500. The advertising space sales unit AS identifies the manufacturer of the printer 500 by referring to the model information, and selects one ink cost calculation unit IE corresponding to the manufacturer of the printer 500 from among the first to third ink cost calculation units IE1-IE3.

[0073] In S210, the advertising space sales unit AS requests the selected ink cost calculation unit IE to calculate the required ink cost. When making the request, the advertising space sales unit AS passes the model information of the printer 500 and the data of the multiple candidate images acquired in S22 to the ink cost calculation unit IE.

[0074] Upon receiving a request to calculate the required ink cost, the ink cost calculation unit IE analyzes each candidate image and calculates the printing rate for each candidate image at S215. For example, the ink cost calculation unit IE performs a rasterization process on the candidate image data (e.g., image data in JPEG format) to convert it into RGB image data. The ink cost calculation unit IE performs a color conversion process and a halftone process on the RGB image data to generate dot data indicating whether or not a print dot is formed for each pixel. The color conversion process uses a lookup table to convert the value of each pixel in the RGB image data from a color value in the RGB color system to a color value in the CMYK color system, which uses ink colors as components. The halftone process is performed using a known method such as dithering or error diffusion. The ink cost calculation unit IE uses the dot data to calculate the printing rate. The printing rate is calculated, for example, by dividing the total number of CMYK dots to be formed to print the candidate image by the maximum number of CMYK dots that can be formed.

[0075] In S220, the ink cost calculation unit IE calculates the required ink cost for each candidate image using the standard ink cost information for the printer 500 and the print rate for each candidate image. The ink cost calculation unit IE can reference the standard ink cost information (FIG. 2(D)) for multiple types of printers manufactured by the corresponding manufacturer. Like the program modules of each ink cost calculation unit IE, the standard ink cost information is made public by the manufacturer and stored in a database DBa so that it can be referenced by the ink cost calculation unit IE. The standard ink cost information indicates, for each of multiple types of printers, the ink cost (also referred to as the standard ink cost) required to print a standard image of a standard size (e.g., A4) and the print rate (also referred to as the standard print rate) of the standard image. The standard ink cost is calculated, for example, by the manufacturer based on the amount of ink consumed when actually printing a standard image using each model of printer and the price of genuine ink for each model of printer. For this reason, the standard ink cost is a different value for each model of printer.

[0076] The ink cost calculation unit IE identifies the model of the printer 500 based on the model information of the printer 500 received from the advertising space sales unit AS. The ink cost calculation unit IE references the standard ink cost information to acquire the standard ink cost and standard printing rate associated with the model of the printer 500. The advertising space sales unit AS calculates the required ink cost for the candidate image using the standard ink cost, the standard printing rate, and the printing rate of the candidate image.

[0077] Let ICr be the standard ink cost for the printer 500, CVs be the print rate of the candidate image to be calculated, and CVr be the print rate (standard print rate) of the standard image used to calculate the standard ink cost ICr. Also, let Sk be the size coefficient. The size coefficient is a value that indicates the size of the paper used, with the standard size (e.g., A4) being 1. For example, if the standard size is A4 and the size of the paper used is A5, the size coefficient Sk is (1 / 2). In this case, the required ink cost ICs is calculated using, for example, the following formula (1): ICs = Sk × ICr × (CVs / CVr) … (1)

[0078] The standard ink cost information is publicly disclosed by the manufacturer of the printer 500, and is therefore easy to obtain. For this reason, by adopting a method for calculating the required ink cost using the above-described standard ink cost information, it is possible to easily calculate the appropriate required ink cost for each of multiple types of printers, including printers by two or more manufacturers. For example, it is possible to calculate the appropriate required ink cost for a greater number of models than by adopting a method that uses information that is not publicly disclosed by the printer manufacturer (for example, information on the color conversion table for each model).

[0079] Various known methods may be used to analyze the candidate image and calculate the required ink cost. For example, a table recording a predetermined correspondence between color values ​​in the RGB color system and the ink cost of each color per pixel required to print the color represented by the color value may be stored in the database DBa for each printer model. The advertising space sales unit AS refers to the table to identify the ink cost of each color for each pixel of the candidate image. The advertising space sales unit AS may calculate the required ink cost for the candidate image by totaling the ink cost of each color for all pixels. Furthermore, the method for analyzing the candidate image and the information used for the analysis may be different for each of the multiple ink cost calculation units IE1-IE3.

[0080] The required ink cost is a value correlated with the amount of ink used to print the candidate image, and therefore information on the required ink cost is an example of color material information related to the amount of ink used to print the candidate image. As described above, a different standard ink cost is used for calculating the required ink cost for each model, and therefore the required ink cost will be a different value depending on the model of printer 500 used to print the advertising image. For this reason, it can be said that if the model of printer 500 is a first model, a first required ink cost is obtained, and if the model of printer 500 is a second model, a second required ink cost different from the first required ink cost is obtained.

[0081] In S222, the ink cost calculation unit IE passes the calculated required ink cost for each candidate image to the advertisement space sales unit AS.

[0082] In S225, the advertising space sales department AS modifies the bid price of each bid by subtracting the ink cost of the candidate image corresponding to each bid from the bid price of each bid. The modified bid price is also called the modified bid price.

[0083] FIG. 8 is a table showing an example of bid prices and revised bid prices. The table in FIG. 8(A) shows the bid price, required ink cost, and revised bid price (in units of yen, for example) for each of six bids (bids with bid IDs 0-5) submitted for one advertising space AFa (FIG. 6(A)) of the first pattern. As described above, the revised bid price is a value obtained by subtracting the required ink cost from the bid price. As shown in FIG. 8, the revised bid price may also be a negative value.

[0084] The table in Figure 8(B) shows the bid price, required ink cost, and revised bid price for each of the 10 bids (bids with bid IDs 11-20) placed for the eight advertising spaces AFb of the second pattern (Figure 6(B)).

[0085] In S230, the advertising space sales unit AS determines an advertising image to be printed when the advertising image layout pattern is the first pattern of FIG. 6A based on the revised bid price (FIG. 8A). Specifically, the advertising space sales unit AS selects the bid with the highest revised bid price from among multiple bids for the advertising space AFa of the first pattern. In the example of FIG. 8A, the bid with bid ID "1" is selected from six bids. The advertising space sales unit AS determines the candidate image corresponding to the selected bid as the advertising image to be printed when the layout pattern is the first pattern.

[0086] In S235, the advertising space sales unit AS determines the advertising image to be printed when the advertising image placement pattern is the second pattern of FIG. 6(B) based on the revised bid price (FIG. 8(B)). Specifically, the advertising space sales unit AS selects eight bids from among the multiple bids for the advertising space AFb of the second pattern in descending order of revised bid price. In the example of FIG. 8(B), eight bids are selected from the ten bids, excluding the two bids with bid IDs "14" and "17". The advertising space sales unit AS determines eight candidate images corresponding to the selected eight bids as the advertising images to be printed when the second pattern is met.

[0087] In S240, the advertising space sales unit AS determines whether the total bid price of the second pattern is higher than the total bid price of the first pattern. The total bid price is the sum of the revised bid prices of the bids corresponding to the advertising images to be printed. The advertising space sales unit AS calculates and compares the total bid price of the second pattern with the total bid price of the first pattern. In the example of FIG. 8(A), the total bid price of the first pattern is 10 yen. In the example of FIG. 8(B), the total bid price of the second pattern is 12 yen. For this reason, in the example of FIG. 8, it is determined that the total bid price of the second pattern is higher than the total bid price of the first pattern.

[0088] If the total bid price for the second pattern is higher than the total bid price for the first pattern (S240: YES), the advertising space sales department AS determines the layout pattern of the advertising space to be the second pattern in S245. As a result, the advertising image to be printed is determined to be the advertising image determined in S235. The successful bidder is then determined to be the bidder who made the bid corresponding to that advertising image. The successful bid price is determined to be the bid price of the bid corresponding to that advertising image.

[0089] If the total bid price of the second pattern is lower than the total bid price of the first pattern (S240: NO), the advertising space sales unit AS determines the first pattern as the layout pattern of the advertising space in S250. As a result, the advertising image to be printed is determined to be the advertising image determined in S230. The successful bidder is then determined to be the bidder who placed the bid corresponding to that advertising image. The successful bid price is determined to be the bid price of the bid corresponding to that advertising image.

[0090] In S25 after the successful bid process in S24 of Fig. 4, the advertising space sales unit AS transmits a successful bid result notice corresponding to each of the multiple bid notices received in S18. The successful bid result notice is transmitted to the bidding server 400 (one of the bidding servers 400A-400C) that transmitted the bid notice. The successful bid result notice includes a bid ID and successful bid result information. The successful bid result information includes information indicating whether the bid was successful or not, and if the bid was successful, further includes information indicating the successful bid price.

[0091] When the bidding server 400 receives the bidding result notification, the bidding control unit BC of the bidding server 400 acquires the bidding result notification. If the bidding control unit BC acquires the bidding result notification indicating that the bid was unsuccessful, the processing executed between the advertisement delivery server 300 and the bidding server 400 is terminated. If the bidding control unit BC acquires the bidding result notification indicating that the bid was successful, the processing from S26 onwards in Fig. 4 is executed.

[0092] In S26, the advertisement space sales unit AS of the advertisement delivery server 300 passes the advertisement image URL included in the bid notification acquired in S18 of FIG. 3 to the delivery control unit DC.

[0093] In S28, the distribution control unit DC transmits an advertising image request (e.g., an HTTP request) addressed to the received advertising image URL. Since the advertising image URL points to the advertising image data stored in the database DBb of the bid server 400, the advertising image request is transmitted to the bid server 400.

[0094] When the bidding server 400 receives the advertising image request, the bidding control unit BC of the bidding server 400 acquires the advertising image request. In S29, the bidding control unit BC transmits data of the advertising image specified by the advertising image URL to the advertisement delivery server 300 as a response to the advertising image request. In this embodiment, when the first pattern is adopted, S28 and S40 are executed for one advertisement space AFa, so the advertisement delivery server 300 receives data of one advertisement image corresponding to one advertisement space AFa. When the second pattern is adopted, S28 and S29 are executed for eight advertisement spaces AFb, so the advertisement delivery server 300 receives data of eight advertisement images corresponding to the eight advertisement spaces AFb.

[0095] When the advertisement delivery server 300 receives the advertisement image data, the delivery control unit DC of the advertisement delivery server 300 acquires the advertisement image data. The delivery control unit DC generates one print image PI using the acquired advertisement image at S30. FIG. 6(C) shows a print image PIa generated using the advertisement template PTa of FIG. 6(A). When the first pattern is adopted, the delivery control unit DC generates the print image PIa by, for example, placing one advertisement image AIa in the advertisement frame AFa arranged in the advertisement template PTa. When the second pattern is adopted, the delivery control unit DC generates the print image PI by, for example, placing an advertisement image in each of the eight advertisement frames AFb arranged in the advertisement template PTb (not shown). The data of the print image PI has a known data format, for example, JPEG format, PNG format, or the like.

[0096] In S34, the distribution control unit DC sends a print instruction to the remote print server 200. The print instruction includes, for example, data of the print image PI, information indicating print settings for printing the print image PI, and a device token. The device token is authentication information for remote printing associated with the printer 500.

[0097] When the remote print server 200 receives the print instruction, in S36, the remote print server 200 and the printer 500 execute the remote print process. For example, the CPU 210 of the remote print server 200 generates a print job for printing the print image PI according to the print settings. The CPU 210 identifies the printer 500 to which the print job is to be sent based on the device token. The CPU 110 sends the generated print job to the printer 500.

[0098] In this embodiment, the printer 500 establishes a constant connection with a relay server (not shown) while the printer 500 is powered on. The constant connection is a connection that complies with a protocol such as MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) or XMPP (eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol). In this embodiment, communication between the remote print server 200 and the printer 500 is performed via the relay server.

[0099] When the CPU 510 of the printer 500 receives the print job, it uses the print job to print the print image PI on paper. When the CPU 510 completes printing of the print image PI, it sends a print completion notification to the remote print server 200 via the relay server.

[0100] When the remote printing process in S36 is completed, in S38, the CPU 210 of the remote printing server 200 transmits a print completion notification indicating that printing of the print image PI has been completed to the advertisement delivery server 300. When the advertisement delivery server 300 receives the print completion notification, the delivery control unit DC of the advertisement delivery server 300 acquires the print completion notification. In S40, the delivery control unit DC passes the print completion notification to the advertisement space sales unit AS.

[0101] When the advertising space sales unit AS receives the printing completion notification, in S42, an advertising fee settlement process is executed between the advertising space sales unit AS and the bidding server 400. The advertising fee settlement process is, for example, a process in which the advertiser of the advertising image pays the advertising fee to the business operator operating the advertising distribution server 300. The advertising fee settlement process is executed using a known so-called online settlement method. The amount of the advertising fee is, for example, the successful bid price. Note that, instead of the advertising fee settlement process, in S42, the advertising space sales unit AS may simply send a notification to the bidding server 400 that the advertising fee claim has been finalized. In this case, the actual settlement process may be executed, for example, once per predetermined period, at a predetermined timing (for example, once a month at the beginning of the month).

[0102] When the advertising fee settlement process is completed, the advertising space sales unit AS passes a settlement completion notice to the distribution control unit DC in S44.

[0103] 5, the distribution control unit DC transmits an advertisement printing performance notification to the management server 100. The advertisement printing performance notification includes information indicating the user ID of the user of the printer 500 that printed the print image PI including the advertisement image, and the successful bid prices of one or more advertisement spaces corresponding to one or more advertisement images included in the print image PI.

[0104] When the management server 100 receives the advertisement printing performance notification, the CPU 110 of the management server 100 calculates, in S50, the bonus points to be returned to the user of the printer 500. Specifically, the CPU 110 calculates the bonus points to be returned as the amount obtained by multiplying the total successful bid prices of one or more advertisement spaces by a predetermined return rate (for example, several percent to several tens of percent).

[0105] In S52, the CPU 110 executes a point granting process. Specifically, the CPU 110 adds the value of the bonus points calculated in S50 to the value of the bonus points associated with the user ID indicating the user of the printer 500 in the bonus point information stored in the database DBm. Once the point granting process is executed, the advertisement printing process ends.

[0106] According to the first embodiment described above, the advertisement delivery server 300 acquires bid price information indicating the bid price for each of a plurality of candidate images that are candidates for the advertisement image (S18 in FIG. 3). The bid price is the amount (advertising price) to be obtained from the advertisement client when the candidate image is printed as the advertisement image. The advertisement delivery server 300 acquires, from the database DBa, model information indicating the model of the printer 500 that is to print the advertisement image (S6 in FIG. 3). The advertisement delivery server 300 acquires the required ink cost using the model information (205-S222 in FIG. 7). As described above, the acquired required ink cost differs depending on the model of the printer 500. The advertisement delivery server 300 determines one or more advertisement images from the plurality of candidate images using the bid price information and the required ink cost acquired using the model information (S225-S250 in FIG. 7). The advertisement delivery server 300 executes processing to cause the printer 500 to print a print image PI including the determined advertisement image (S30 and S34 in FIG. 4). As a result, an advertising image is selected from multiple candidate images using information indicating the advertising price and ink information indicating the amount of ink used to print the candidate image. As a result, an advertising image can be selected taking into consideration the ink cost required for the model of printer 500 used for printing. Therefore, when printing an advertising image, a preferred image can be selected as the advertising image.

[0107] When an advertisement is distributed by printing an advertising image, ink is used to print the advertising image. The amount of ink used for printing varies greatly between, for example, an image with a large solid area (e.g., an image with a dark background) and an image with a small solid area (e.g., an image with a white background). Furthermore, the price per unit amount of ink used may vary depending on the model of printer. Even when printing the same image, the amount of ink required for printing and the number of ink types (e.g., three colors, four colors, five colors, seven colors) may differ depending on the model of printer. For this reason, the amount of ink used, and therefore the cost of ink required for printing, may vary greatly for each advertising image and each model of printer.

[0108] For example, if a distributor that distributes advertisements bears the cost of ink, the profit of the distributor that distributes advertisements will be reduced by at least the cost of ink. For this reason, for example, if the cost of ink required for printing is excessively high, the distributor may not be able to make a sufficient profit even if the advertising price paid by the advertiser is high. Conversely, if the cost of ink required for printing is sufficiently low, the distributor may be able to ensure a profit even if the advertising price paid by the advertiser is low.

[0109] In cases where the user of the printer 500 bears the cost of ink, if the user is unable to receive appropriate bonus points in proportion to the user's burden, the user may not continue using the advertising distribution service. For example, if the cost of ink required to print advertising images is excessively high, the user's burden may become excessively high. In this case, if the advertising price paid by the advertiser is low, it may not be possible to receive sufficient bonus points to cover the user's burden. Conversely, if the cost of ink required for printing is sufficiently low, the user's burden will also be low, and it may not be a problem if the user receives fewer bonus points due to the low advertising price paid by the advertiser.

[0110] In this embodiment, an advertising image can be determined taking into account the required ink cost based on the amount of ink used for printing. In particular, in this embodiment, the required ink cost is calculated according to the printer model, so the required ink cost can be obtained with higher accuracy than when the printer model is not taken into account. Therefore, when printing an advertising image, an image that is preferable can be determined as the advertising image from the perspective of the profitability of the advertising distribution service provider and the burden on the user of the printer 500.

[0111] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the advertisement delivery server 300 calculates the required ink cost using a different ink cost calculation unit IE for each manufacturer of the printer 500 (S205 in FIG. 7). That is, the advertisement delivery server 300 includes a first ink cost calculation unit IE1 that calculates a first required ink cost for each of the multiple candidate images by analyzing each of the multiple candidate images when the printer 500 model is a first model (e.g., a model manufactured by a first manufacturer), and a second ink cost calculation unit IE2 that calculates a second required ink cost for each of the multiple candidate images by analyzing each of the multiple candidate images when the printer 500 model is a second model (e.g., a model manufactured by a second manufacturer). As a result, by analyzing the multiple candidate images, it is possible to obtain a highly accurate required ink cost according to the printer model (S215-S225 in FIG. 7). Therefore, the cost of ink used for printing can be more appropriately taken into consideration, allowing a more preferable image to be selected as the advertisement image. Furthermore, for example, there is no need to ask the advertiser or the operator of the bid server 400 to prepare the ink information, and the advertisement distribution server 300 itself can obtain the ink information indicating the amount of ink.

[0112] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the advertisement delivery server 300 acquires the bid prices of each of the plurality of candidate images each time a print image PI including an advertisement image is printed (S18 in FIG. 3), and acquires model information of the printer (e.g., printer 500) to be used to print the advertisement image (S6 in FIG. 3). Then, each time a print image PI including an advertisement image is printed, the advertisement delivery server 300 selects an ink cost calculation unit IE to be used from the first to third ink cost calculation units IE1-IE3 using the model information (S205 in FIG. 7), and acquires the required ink cost using the selected ink cost calculation unit IE (S210-S222 in FIG. 7). As a result, a preferred image can be determined as the advertisement image each time a print image PI including an advertisement image is printed.

[0113] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the advertisement delivery server 300 calculates revised bid prices for each of the plurality of candidate images by using the required ink cost to revise the bid prices for each of the plurality of candidate images (S225 in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8). Then, the advertisement delivery server 300 determines an advertisement image to be printed from among the plurality of candidate images based on the revised bid prices (S230 and S235 in FIG. 7). More specifically, the advertisement delivery server 300 determines a candidate image with a higher revised bid price as the advertisement image, preferentially over a candidate image with a lower revised bid price (FIGS. 8A and 8B). That is, the advertisement delivery server 300 determines a first candidate image of the plurality of candidate images corresponding to a first revised price (for example, the revised bid price for bid ID "1" in FIG. 8A) as the advertisement image, and does not determine a second candidate image corresponding to a second revised price lower than the first revised price (for example, the revised bid price for bid ID "2," "3," etc. in FIG. 8A) as the advertisement image. In this way, by using the ink information to correct the bid price and calculate the corrected bid price, a desirable image can be appropriately determined as the advertisement image.

[0114] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the advertisement delivery server 300 calculates the revised bid price by subtracting the required ink cost based on the ink amount from the bid price (S235 in FIG. 7, FIG. 8). That is, the advertisement delivery server 300 calculates the revised bid price for the candidate image by correcting the bid price based on the ink amount information so that the revised bid price becomes lower the greater the amount of color material used to print the candidate image. As a result, a desirable image can be determined as the advertisement image from the perspective of the profit to be obtained by printing the advertisement image.

[0115] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the advertisement delivery server 300 sets a plurality of candidate patterns, which are candidates for an arrangement pattern for arranging one or more advertisement images on a print image PI of a specific size (A4 size in this embodiment) (S8 in FIG. 3). The plurality of candidate patterns include a first pattern (FIG. 6(A)) including M (M is an integer equal to or greater than 1, M=1 in this embodiment) advertisement images of a first size (equivalent to A4 size in this embodiment) and a second pattern (FIG. 6(A)) including N (N is an integer greater than M, N=8 in this embodiment) advertisement images of a second size (equivalent to 1 / 8 of A4 size in this embodiment). The advertisement delivery server 300 determines an arrangement pattern to be selected from the plurality of candidate patterns and one or more advertisement images to be arranged according to the selected arrangement pattern using the bid price information and the ink information (S230-S250 in FIG. 7). As a result, it is possible to determine appropriate advertisement images so that the advertisement images are arranged in a highly profitable arrangement pattern, for example.

[0116] As can be seen from the above explanation, the required ink cost information in this embodiment is an example of color material information, the bid price in this embodiment is an example of an advertised price, and the revised bid price is an example of a revised price.

[0117] B. Second Example Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system 1000B according to a second embodiment. The system 1000B includes an advertisement delivery server 300B instead of the advertisement delivery server 300 in Fig. 1. The non-volatile storage device 330 of the advertisement delivery server 300B stores a computer program PGaB and a database DBaB instead of the computer program PGa and the database DBa.

[0118] Unlike the computer program PGa of the first embodiment, the computer program PGaB does not include a program module that implements the ink cost calculation unit IE (IE1-IE3). Therefore, the advertising space sales unit AS implemented by the CPU 310 executing the computer program PGaB does not include the function of the ink cost calculation unit IE (IE1-IE3).

[0119] Unlike the database DBa in Fig. 2(D), the database DBaB does not store information referenced by the ink cost calculation unit IE, i.e., standard ink cost information for each printer model. The other information stored in the database DBaB is the same as that in the database DBa in Fig. 2(D). Furthermore, the other configurations of the advertisement delivery server 300B are the same as those of the advertisement delivery server 300 in Fig. 1.

[0120] The system 1000B includes the above-described advertisement distribution server 300B, the management server 100 similar to that of the first embodiment, the remote print server 200, the bidding servers 400A-400C, and the printer 500, as well as external servers 600A-600C.

[0121] The first external server 600A includes a CPU 610, a volatile storage device 620, a nonvolatile storage device 630, and a communication IF 680, similar to those of the management server 100. The nonvolatile storage device 630 stores a computer program PGe and a database DBe.

[0122] The computer program PGe is provided, for example, in the form of being uploaded by a business operator that operates the external server 600A. The CPU 610 of the external server 600A executes the computer program PGe to function as a first ink cost calculation unit IE1. As shown in Fig. 9, the database DBe stores reference ink cost information referenced by the first ink cost calculation unit IE1.

[0123] The second external server 600B and the third external server 600C have the same configuration as the first external server 600A described above. The CPU of the second external server 600B functions as a second ink cost calculation unit IE2 by executing a computer program (not shown). The CPU of the second external server 600B functions as a second ink cost calculation unit IE2 by executing a computer program (not shown). Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the three ink cost calculation units IE1-IE3, the numbers at the end of the reference numerals will be omitted, as in the first embodiment, and they will also be referred to as ink cost calculation units IE.

[0124] The ink cost calculation unit IE is a functional unit that calculates the ink cost required when printing an image using a printer, similar to the ink cost calculation unit IE in the first embodiment. As in the first embodiment, each ink cost calculation unit IE corresponds to a specific printer manufacturer. That is, the first external server 600A functioning as the first ink cost calculation unit IE1 provides a service that calculates the ink cost required when printing an image using a printer manufactured by the first manufacturer. The second external server 600B functioning as the second ink cost calculation unit IE2 and the third external server 600C functioning as the third ink cost calculation unit IE3 provide services that calculate the ink cost required when printing an image using a printer manufactured by the second manufacturer and the third manufacturer, respectively.

[0125] In this embodiment, the external servers 600A, 600B, and 600C are operated by a first manufacturer, a second manufacturer, and a third manufacturer, respectively. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the three external servers 600A-600C, the alphabet at the end of the reference numeral will be omitted and they will also be referred to as external server 600.

[0126] In the second embodiment, the content of the successful bid process in S24 of Fig. 4 is also different from that of the first embodiment. Since the other operations of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, only the successful bid process of the second embodiment will be described below. Fig. 10 is a flowchart of the successful bid process of the second embodiment. The successful bid process of the second embodiment differs from the successful bid process of the first embodiment (Fig. 7) in that the advertising space sales department AS obtains the required ink cost using an external server 600.

[0127] In S205B, the advertising space sales unit AS selects one external server 600 to use from among the multiple external servers 600 (600A-600C in FIG. 9) based on the model information acquired in S6 in FIG. 3. As described above, the model information includes information indicating the manufacturer of the printer 500. The advertising space sales unit AS identifies the manufacturer of the printer 500 by referring to the model information, and selects one external server 600 corresponding to the manufacturer of the printer 500 from among the first to third external servers 600A-600C.

[0128] In S210B, the advertising space sales unit AS sends an ink cost calculation request to the selected external server 600. Communication between the advertising space sales unit AS of the advertising delivery server 300B and the external server 600 is performed according to a known protocol. In this embodiment, HTTP is used for the communication, so the ink cost calculation request is an HTTP request. The ink cost calculation request includes model information of the printer 500 and data of the multiple candidate images acquired in S22 of FIG. 3.

[0129] When the external server 600 (CPU 610) receives the ink cost calculation request, it analyzes each candidate image included in the ink cost calculation request and calculates the printing rate for each candidate image in S215B. The method for calculating the printing rate is the same as the method used in S215 of FIG. 7 described in the first embodiment.

[0130] In S220B, the external server 600 calculates the required ink cost for each candidate image using the standard ink cost information for the printer 500 and the printing rate for each candidate image. The external server 600 calculates the required ink cost using the method used in S220 of FIG. 7, which was already explained in the first embodiment. That is, the external server 600 identifies the model of the printer 500 based on the model information for the printer 500 included in the ink cost calculation request. The external server 600 references the standard ink cost information recorded in database DBaB and acquires the standard ink cost and standard printing rate associated with the model of the printer 500. The external server 600 calculates the required ink cost for the candidate image using the standard ink cost, the standard printing rate, and the printing rate of the candidate image.

[0131] As in the first embodiment, the required ink cost is calculated using a different standard ink cost for each model, and therefore the required ink cost will be a different value depending on the model of the printer 500 used to print the advertisement image.

[0132] In S222B, the external server 600 transmits the calculated required ink cost for each candidate image to the advertisement delivery server 300B as a response to the ink cost calculation request. When the advertisement delivery server 300B receives the required ink cost for each candidate image, the advertisement space sales department AS of the advertisement delivery server 300B acquires the required ink cost.

[0133] The processing of S225B-S250B in Fig. 10 is the same as the processing of S225-S250 in Fig. 7. For this reason, a description of the processing of S225B-S250B in Fig. 10 will be omitted.

[0134] According to the second embodiment described above, the advertisement delivery server 300B calculates the required ink cost using a different external server 600 for each manufacturer of the printer 500 (S205 in FIG. 10). That is, if the model of the printer 500 is a first model (e.g., a model manufactured by a first manufacturer), the advertisement delivery server 300B sends an ink cost calculation request to the first external server 600A and obtains the first required ink cost for each of the multiple candidate images from the first external server 600A. If the model of the printer 500 is a second model (e.g., a model manufactured by a second manufacturer), the advertisement delivery server 300B sends an ink cost calculation request to the second external server 600B and obtains the second required ink cost for each of the multiple candidate images from the second external server 600B. As a result, by using multiple external servers 600, it is possible to obtain a highly accurate required ink cost according to the printer model (S215B-S225B in FIG. 10). Therefore, the cost of ink used for printing can be more appropriately taken into consideration, and a more desirable image can be determined as the advertising image. Also, for example, there is no need to ask the advertiser or the operator of the bidding server 400 to prepare ink information. Furthermore, since the advertisement delivery server 300B itself does not need to calculate the required ink cost, the processing load of the advertisement delivery server 300B can be reduced.

[0135] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the advertisement delivery server 300B acquires the bid prices of each of the plurality of candidate images (S18 in FIG. 3) and acquires model information of the printer (e.g., printer 500) to be used to print the advertisement image (S6 in FIG. 3) each time a print image PI including an advertisement image is printed. Then, the advertisement delivery server 300B selects an external server 600 to use from the plurality of external servers 600A-600C using the model information (S205B in FIG. 10) each time a print image PI including an advertisement image is printed, and acquires the required ink cost using the selected external server 600 (S210B-S222B in FIG. 10). As a result, a preferred image can be determined as the advertisement image each time a print image PI including an advertisement image is printed.

[0136] C. Variations (1) In the second embodiment, the color material information that the advertisement delivery server 300B receives from the external server 600 is the required ink cost (S222B in FIG. 10). Alternatively, the color material information that the advertisement delivery server 300B receives from the external server 600 may be an estimated value of the amount of ink used to print each candidate image (hereinafter also referred to as the amount of used ink, measured in units of, for example, milliliters). In this case, for example, the database DBe of the external server 600 stores different reference ink amount information for each model depending on the model. The reference ink amount information indicates, for example, the amount of ink required to print a reference image of a standard size (e.g., A4) (reference ink amount) and the print rate of the reference image (reference print rate). The external server 600 uses the reference ink amount information to calculate the amount of ink used for each candidate image. The advertisement delivery server 300B multiplies the amount of used ink received from the external server 600 by a predetermined conversion coefficient to convert the amount of used ink into the required ink cost. The conversion coefficient may be, for example, a different value for each model, or may be a value common to a plurality of models.

[0137] (2) In the first embodiment, the advertisement delivery server 300 calculates the required ink cost using the ink cost calculation unit IE each time a print image PI is printed (FIGS. 3-4, 7). Alternatively, for example, if it is known that the same advertisement image will be printed multiple times using the same model of printer, the advertisement delivery server 300 may record the required ink cost for each of multiple candidate images in the database DBa for each model. Then, for example, the advertisement delivery server 300 may search the database DBa based on the model information and the candidate image each time a print image PI is printed, and obtain the required ink cost for the candidate image for which a bid has been made. Then, if the required ink cost for the candidate image for which a bid has been made is not recorded in the database DBa, the advertisement delivery server 300 may calculate the required ink cost in the same manner as in the first embodiment and record it in the database DBa.

[0138] (3) In the second embodiment, the advertisement delivery server 300B obtains the required ink cost from the external server 600 each time the print image PI is printed (FIGS. 3-4 and 10). Alternatively, for example, if it is known that the same advertisement image will be printed multiple times using the same model of printer, the advertisement delivery server 300B may record the required ink cost of multiple candidate images obtained from the external server 600 for each model in the database DBa. Then, for example, the advertisement delivery server 300B may search the database DBa based on the model information and the candidate image each time the print image PI is printed, and obtain the required ink cost of the candidate image for which a bid has been made. Then, if the required ink cost of the candidate image for which a bid has been made is not recorded in the database DBa, the advertisement delivery server 300B may obtain the required ink cost from the external server 600 and record it in the database DBa in the same manner as in the second embodiment.

[0139] (4) In each of the above embodiments, the advertisement delivery server 300, 300B uses the required ink cost as color material information to determine an advertisement image to be printed from among multiple candidate images (FIGS. 7 and 10). Alternatively, the advertisement delivery server 300, 300B may use an estimated value of the amount of ink used to print the candidate image (ink usage amount) as color material information to determine an advertisement image to be printed from among multiple candidate images. For example, the advertisement delivery server 300, 300B communicates with the printer 500 to acquire the remaining CMYK ink amounts. The advertisement delivery server 300, 300B further acquires the CMYK ink usage amounts of each candidate image as color material information. The CMYK ink usage amounts are acquired, for example, by analyzing each candidate image. Based on the remaining CMYK ink amounts and the CMYK ink usage amounts, the advertisement delivery server 300, 300B determines, for each candidate image, whether at least one ink remaining in the printer 500 will run out if the candidate image is printed. The advertisement delivery server 300, 300B determines an advertisement image from among the plurality of candidate images, images that do not run out of ink even when printed.

[0140] The advertising image is printed at a fixed time regardless of the user's wishes. Therefore, if the printing of the advertising image causes one or more colors of ink to run out, this may cause a disadvantage to the user of the printer 500. For example, an image that the user had planned to print may no longer be printed without refilling the ink. According to this modified example, a desirable image can be determined as the advertising image from the viewpoint of preventing ink from running out. Therefore, the burden on the user can be prevented from increasing, and the likelihood that the user will continue to use the advertising distribution service can be increased.

[0141] (5) In each of the above embodiments, the advertisement delivery server 300, 300B receives data on a plurality of candidate images from the bidding server 400 (S22 in FIG. 3). Alternatively, the data on the plurality of candidate images may be received from another server, for example, a server owned by the advertiser or a storage server used by the advertiser. In this case, a URL pointing to the other server storing the data on the plurality of candidate images is used as the advertisement image URL.

[0142] (6) In each of the above embodiments, after determining the advertising image to be printed, the advertising delivery server 300, 300B transmits a print instruction for the advertising image to the remote print server 200 (S34 in FIG. 4). Alternatively, the advertising delivery server 300, 300B may generate a print job by itself and transmit the print job directly to the printer 500. Also, if the printer 500 is configured to receive image data in a predetermined format (e.g., PDF format) and then execute printing using the image data, the advertising delivery server 300, 300B may simply transmit the advertising image data in the predetermined format to the printer 500.

[0143] (7) The layout pattern of the advertising image in the print image PI may be a pattern different from the two patterns shown in FIG. 6. For example, the layout pattern employed may include two or more different sizes of advertising spaces. For example, a layout pattern including one advertising space that is half the size of the print image and four advertising spaces that are one-eighth the size of the print image may be employed. Furthermore, in the bidding process of the first and second embodiments, one layout pattern may be determined from three or more candidate layout patterns.

[0144] (8) In the first embodiment described above, in S225 of FIG. 7, the bid price is corrected by subtracting the required ink cost from the bid price. This is not a limitation, and the bid price may be corrected by other methods. For example, the advertising space sales unit AS determines a correction amount ΔH that increases as the index value correlated with the required ink cost increases. The correction amount ΔH is determined, for example, by referring to a table that defines a predetermined correspondence between the index value and the correction amount ΔH. The advertising space sales unit AS may correct the bid price by subtracting the correction amount from the bid price.

[0145] (9) In each of the above embodiments, an advertising image is selected from among a plurality of candidate images based on the revised bid price. However, the invention is not limited to this. An advertising image may be selected from among a plurality of candidate images without using the revised bid price. For example, when the remaining ink level in the printer 500 is equal to or less than a first threshold, the advertising space sales unit AS may exclude candidate images whose ink usage level is equal to or greater than a second threshold from the candidates for advertising images. The advertising space sales unit AS may then select the candidate image corresponding to the highest bid price from among the remaining candidate images as the advertising image. Even in this case, it is possible to prevent an advertising image that consumes an excessive amount of ink from being printed when the remaining ink level in the printer 500 is low.

[0146] (10) In each of the above embodiments, the advertisement delivery service is realized by four types of servers 100-400 working together. The servers providing the advertisement delivery service may have various configurations. For example, the delivery control unit DC and the advertisement space sales unit AS of the advertisement delivery servers 300 and 300B may be separate servers. Similarly, the bidding control unit BC and the consumer information management unit CM of the bidding server 400 may be separate servers. Furthermore, the advertisement delivery servers 300 and 300B and one of the bidding servers 400A-400C may be configured as a single server.

[0147] Furthermore, the processes executed by the management server 100, the remote print server 200, and the advertisement delivery server 300 (or the advertisement delivery server 300B) may be executed by a single server. Alternatively, the processes executed by any two servers among the management server 100, the remote print server 200, and the advertisement delivery server 300 (or the advertisement delivery server 300B) may be executed by a single server.

[0148] (11) In the above embodiments, some of the configurations realized by hardware may be replaced by software, and conversely, some or all of the configurations realized by software may be replaced by hardware.

[0149] The present invention has been described above based on examples and modifications, but the above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and equivalents thereof are also included in the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0150] 1000...system, 100...management server, 110...CPU, 120...volatile storage device, 130...non-volatile storage device, 180...communication IF, 200...remote print server, 210...CPU, 220...volatile storage device, 230...non-volatile storage device, 280...communication IF, 300...advertising distribution server, 310...CPU, 320...volatile storage device, 330...non-volatile storage device, 380...communication IF, 400A-400C...bidding server, 410...CPU, 420...volatile storage device, 4 30...nonvolatile storage device, 480...communication IF, 500...printer, 510...CPU, 520...volatile storage device, 530...nonvolatile storage device, 540...display unit, 550...operation unit, 570...printing mechanism, 580...communication IF, DC...distribution control unit, AS...advertising space sales unit, BC...bidding control unit, CM...consumer information management unit, DBa, DBb, DBm, DBp, DBr...database, PGa, PGb, PGm, PGp, PGr...computer program, TB...ink amount recording table

Claims

1. a server, a first acquisition unit that acquires price information indicating an advertising price for each of a plurality of candidate images that are candidates for an advertising image, the advertising price being a price for printing the candidate image as the advertising image; a second acquisition unit that acquires model information indicating a model of a printer that is to print the advertisement image; a third acquisition unit that acquires color material information relating to the amount of color material used to print the candidate image using the model information, the third acquisition unit acquiring first color material information when the printer model is a first model, and acquiring second color material information different from the first color material information when the printer model is a second model; an image determination unit that determines one or more of the advertisement images from among the plurality of candidate images using the price information and the color material information acquired using the model information; a print processing unit that executes a process for causing a printer to print a print image including the determined advertisement image; A server comprising:

2. 2. The server of claim 1, The third acquisition unit a candidate image acquisition unit that acquires data of the plurality of candidate images; a first calculation unit that calculates the first color material information for each of the plurality of candidate images by analyzing each of the plurality of candidate images when the model of the printer is the first model; a second calculation unit that calculates the second color material information for each of the plurality of candidate images by analyzing each of the plurality of candidate images when the model of the printer is the second model; A server comprising:

3. 3. The server according to claim 2, Each time the print image including the advertisement image is printed, the first acquisition unit acquires the price information of each of the plurality of candidate images; the second acquisition unit acquires the model information of the printer; The third acquisition unit selecting a calculation unit to be used from a plurality of calculation units including the first calculation unit and the second calculation unit using the model information; A server obtains the colorant information using the selected usage calculation unit.

4. 2. The server of claim 1, The third acquisition unit If the model of the printer is the first model, an information request is sent to a first external server to acquire the first color material information from the first external server; If the model of the printer is the second model, the server transmits an information request to a second external server different from the first external server and acquires the second colorant information from the second external server.

5. 5. The server according to claim 4, Each time the print image including the advertisement image is printed, the first acquisition unit acquires the price information of each of the plurality of candidate images; the second acquisition unit acquires the model information of the printer; The third acquisition unit selecting an external server to be used from a plurality of external servers including the first external server and the second external server using the model information; A server acquires the colorant information from the selected external server to be used.

6. 2. The server of claim 1, The image determination unit calculating a revised price for each of the plurality of candidate images by modifying the advertising price for each of the plurality of candidate images using the colorant information; A server determines a first candidate image corresponding to a first revised price from among the plurality of candidate images as the advertising image, and does not determine a second candidate image corresponding to a second revised price lower than the first revised price as the advertising image.

7. 7. The server according to claim 6, The image determination unit calculates the revised price of the candidate image by revising the advertising price based on the color material information so that the revised price becomes lower the greater the amount of color material used to print the candidate image.

8. 2. The server of claim 1, The colorant is ink.

9. 2. The server of claim 1, the print processing unit transmits a print instruction to a print server to cause the printer to print the print image; The print server generates a print job for printing the print image based on the print instruction and transmits the print job to the printer.

10. 1. A method for printing advertising images, comprising: a first acquisition step of acquiring price information indicating an advertising price for each of a plurality of candidate images that are candidates for the advertising image, the advertising price being a price for printing the candidate image as the advertising image; a second acquisition step of acquiring model information indicating the model of the printer on which the advertising image is to be printed; a third acquisition step of acquiring color material information relating to the amount of color material used in printing the candidate image using the model information, the third acquisition step acquiring first color material information if the printer model is a first model, and acquiring second color material information different from the first color material information if the printer model is a second model; an image determination step of determining one or more of the advertisement images from among the plurality of candidate images using the price information and the color material information acquired using the model information; a print processing step of executing a process for causing a printer to print a print image including the determined advertisement image; A method for providing

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