Information distribution server and information distribution printing system

Abstract

In cases where an advertisement cannot be printed despite winning a bid, this system prevents delays and complications in billing by promptly confirming the printing failure. [Solution] In S5, the control unit 110 of the advertising provision server 100 sends an advertising bid request to the advertising management server 500. In S8, it determines the winning bid advertisement from the advertisements received from the advertising management server 500 in response to the bid request. In S20, it acquires the advertising image of the winning bid advertisement. In S30, it distributes a printable distribution image based on the advertising image to the printer 200. After determining the winning bid advertisement in S8, the control unit 110 determines in S23, S55, S95, S100, S110, and S117 whether the conditions for canceling the winning bid for the winning advertisement have been met. If it determines that the conditions for canceling the winning bid have been met, in S120, it sends a bid cancellation notice to the advertising management server 500 to cancel the winning bid for the winning advertisement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a distribution information providing server that distributes distribution information to a printing device of a distribution destination for printing, and an information distribution printing system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as described in Patent Document 1 for example, a bid for an advertisement attached to an image of a printed matter printed by a printing device is solicited, a target advertisement is determined based on bid results from a plurality of advertisers, and a charge corresponding to the bid amount of the advertisement is executed. A technique is known.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technique disclosed in the above-cited Document 1, for example, when attempting to print an advertisement that has been successfully bid according to a bid solicitation, there may be a state where it cannot be printed due to some inconvenience in the printing device. When it is in a state where it cannot be printed, the advertiser of the advertisement misses the opportunity to obtain the effect of the advertisement, and there is a problem that the charging process is delayed or complicated.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a distribution information providing server and an information distribution printing system that can prevent the charging process from being delayed or complicated by quickly determining a printing failure when an advertisement cannot be printed despite winning a bid in response to a bid solicitation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a distribution information providing server equipped with a control unit that receives distribution information managed by a distribution information management server and distributes it to a printing device, wherein the control unit is configured to perform: a request transmission process that transmits a request for bidding on distribution information to the distribution information management server; an information determination process that determines specific distribution information to be awarded among the distribution information received from the distribution information management server in response to the request for bidding transmitted in the request transmission process; a specific distribution information acquisition process that acquires the specific distribution information determined in the information determination process; a distribution process that distributes print distribution information based on the specific distribution information acquired in the specific distribution information acquisition process to the printing device; a withdrawal condition determination process that determines whether or not the conditions for withdrawing the award for

[0007] The control unit of the distribution information provision server of the present invention transmits a request for bidding on distribution information to the distribution information management server in the request transmission process. In the information determination process, the control unit determines which specific distribution information will be awarded the bid from among the distribution information received from the distribution information management server in response to the bidding request transmitted in the request transmission process. In the specific distribution information acquisition process, the control unit acquires the specific distribution information determined in the information determination process. In the distribution process, the control unit distributes printable distribution information based on the specific distribution information acquired in the specific distribution information acquisition process to the printing device. After determining the specific distribution information in the information determination process, the control unit determines in the withdrawal condition determination process whether the conditions for withdrawing the successful bid for the specific distribution information have been met. In the withdrawal information transmission process, if the withdrawal condition determination process determines that the conditions for withdrawing the successful bid have been met, the control unit sends the successful bid withdrawal information to the distribution information management server to withdraw the successful bid for the specific distribution information. As a result of the above, according to the present invention, it is possible to determine early whether printing will fail or not after a request for bidding has been made but before the print distribution information is distributed to the printing device. Therefore, if an advertisement cannot be printed despite having won a bid in response to a request for bidding, the printing failure can be confirmed early and the winning bid can be withdrawn, preventing delays or complications in the billing process. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, in cases where an advertisement cannot be printed despite winning a bid in response to a tender request, the printing failure can be confirmed early, thereby preventing delays or complications in the billing process. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an information distribution and printing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This sequence flow illustrates an example of a processing flow executed through the collaboration of an advertising server, an advertising management server, terminal devices, and a printer. [Figure 3] This sequence flow illustrates an example of a processing flow executed through the collaboration of an advertising server, an advertising management server, terminal devices, and a printer. [Figure 4] This sequence flow shows an example of the processing flow executed collaboratively by the advertising provider server, advertising management server, terminal device, and printer in a modified version where the conditions for canceling a successful bid are determined based on information other than status information. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to an information distribution and printing system that distributes advertising information from a server to a printer for printing.

[0011] <Overall Configuration of the Information Distribution and Printing System> Figure 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of the information distribution and printing system 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the information distribution and printing system 1 includes an advertising server (SSP: Supply Side Platform) 100, a printer 200, a terminal device 300, a user management server (DMP: Data Management Platform) 400, and an advertising management server (DSP: Demand Side Platform) 500. Servers 100, 400, 500, printer 200, and terminal device 300 are each equipped with a communication unit and can communicate with each other via a network NT. The network NT includes at least one of the following: the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), or a WAN (Wide Area Network). The communication unit may be configured to include multiple types of communication circuits for connecting to the network NT. In this case, devices connected to the network NT may communicate with multiple other devices using different communication circuits. In this embodiment, the collective term for multiple types of communication circuits is referred to as the communication unit.

[0012] <Terminal device> The terminal device 300 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone owned by the user, and in this example, it is connected to the network NT via wireless communication. The terminal device 300 can be any suitable terminal other than the printer 200, and may be a tablet PC, notebook PC, desktop PC, etc., in addition to a smartphone. Alternatively, the terminal device 300 may be a portable terminal or a stationary terminal installed in karaoke boxes or various stores for song selection, menu selection, product browsing, etc. The terminal device 300 has a display unit, control unit, operation unit, memory unit, communication unit, etc. (not shown). Various programs are stored in the memory unit. The control unit executes the various programs stored in the memory unit. The various programs include programs that execute the processes shown in the flows in Figures 2 and 3 described later. The user can input various instructions to the terminal device 300 by operating the operation unit.

[0013] <User Management Server> The user management server 400 manages user information via the terminal device 300. The user management server 400 includes a control unit (not shown), a storage unit, a communication unit, and the like.

[0014] <Advertising server> The advertising server 100 is, for example, a server installed and managed by the manufacturer of the printer 200. The advertising server 100 receives advertising images from the advertising management server 500 at predetermined times. The advertising server 100 distributes the acquired advertising images to the printer 200 and initiates printing. The advertising server 100 is an example of a distribution information provider server.

[0015] In detail, the advertising server 100 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 115, a communication unit 140, etc. The control unit 110, storage unit 115, and communication unit 140, etc. are connected via a bus 105 to enable information transmission and reception. The storage unit 115 is composed of, for example, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, HDD, etc. The storage unit 115 stores various programs 120 and various data 130. The various programs 120 include an information distribution program that executes the control contents of the advertising server 100 as shown in the flows in Figures 2 and 3 described later, and the various data 130 include the printer ID of the printer 200, user ID, advertising image, etc.

[0016] The control unit 110 is a device that performs data processing, such as a processor like a CPU. The control unit 110 executes various programs stored in the storage unit 115. The control unit 110 performs various processes, including data communication with the printer 200, terminal device 300, user management server 400, and advertising management server 500, which are connected to the network NT. The communication unit 140 includes hardware such as a NIC (Network Interface Card) for connecting to Ethernet®, is connected to the network NT, and communicates with the printer 200, terminal device 300, user management server 400, and advertising management server 500.

[0017] <Ad management server> The advertisement management server 500 transmits an advertisement image for printing by the printer 200 to the advertisement providing server 100. The advertisement management server 500 has a control unit (not shown), a storage unit, a communication unit, etc. In this example, the advertisement management server 500 receives a bidding request from the advertisement providing server 100 through the communication unit. A plurality of advertisers' terminal devices or servers (not shown) are connected to the network NT. The control unit of the advertisement management server 500 executes an auction corresponding to the above bidding request for the advertisement images submitted by those advertisers, and acquires a suitable advertisement image by bidding for the auction. When there is a winning bid that meets the predetermined conditions of the auction, the control unit of the advertisement management server 500 acquires the corresponding advertisement image from the terminal device of the advertiser who is the winning bidder. The acquired advertisement image is transmitted from the advertisement management server 500 to the advertisement providing server 100 via the communication unit, and is further transmitted from the received advertisement providing server 100 to the printer 200 for printing. Note that the advertisement providing server 100 may acquire the above advertisement image from the advertisement management server 500, or the advertisement management server 500 may further acquire an advertisement image from another server outside and transmit it to the advertisement providing server 100. The advertisement management server 500 is an example of a distribution information management server.

[0018] Note that the above servers 100, 400, and 500 may each be composed of one single "server", or each may be composed of a plurality of servers. Alternatively, at least two of the functions of those servers 100, 400, and 500 may be provided in one single "server".

[0019] <Printer> The printer 200 is attached with the aforementioned printer ID. The printer 200 has a control unit 210, a storage unit 215, a display unit 240, an operation unit 250, a communication unit 260, a printing unit 270, etc. The control unit 210, the storage unit 215, the display unit 240, the operation unit 250, the communication unit 260, and the printing unit 270 are connected via a bus 205 so that information can be transmitted and received. The printer 200 is an example of a printing device.

[0020] The storage unit 215 is composed of, for example, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, HDD, etc. The storage unit 215 stores various programs 220 and various data 230. The various programs 220 include, for example, a program that executes the control contents of the printer 200 according to the flow shown in Figures 2 and 3 below. The various data 230 include the aforementioned printer ID and advertising images received from the advertising server 100, which are obtained from the terminal device of the successful bidder among the advertisers and transmitted from the advertising server 100. At least a portion of the above various data may be stored in the storage unit 115 of the advertising server 100. Alternatively, at least a portion of the original data may be stored in either the storage unit 215 of the printer 200 or the storage unit 115 of the advertising server 100, and a copy of that original data may be stored in the other of the two.

[0021] The control unit 210 is a data processing device, such as a processor like a CPU. The control unit 210 executes various programs stored in the storage unit 215. The display unit 240 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, capable of displaying various information. The operation unit 250 is, for example, a keyboard or buttons, and accepts user input. The user can input various instructions to the printer 200 by operating the operation unit 250. The communication unit 260 is connected to the network NT and can communicate with the advertising server 100, the advertising management server 500, the user management server 400, and the terminal device 300. The printing unit 270 includes a printing engine and, using a transport mechanism (not shown), removes and transports printing paper from a paper tray, while forming and printing an image on the paper using an inkjet method in this example. A laser printing engine may also be used.

[0022] The cartridge holder 280 is configured to accommodate the cartridge 285. The cartridge 285 consists of multiple ink color cartridges, such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The cartridge holder 280 is equipped with an ink level sensor (not shown) capable of detecting the remaining amount or consumption of each of the multiple ink color cartridges by a known method.

[0023] The printing unit 270 performs printing while consuming the ink in cartridge 285. The reader / writer 290 is provided in the cartridge holder 280. The reader / writer 290 reads and writes cartridge information to the IC chip provided in cartridge 285 housed in cartridge holder 280. For example, by reading the cartridge information from the IC chip, the reader / writer 290 detects the type of cartridge 285 housed in cartridge holder 280. The amount of ink used or remaining in cartridge 285 may also be detected by the above reading by the reader / writer 290.

[0024] <Features of the Embodiment> As described above, in this embodiment, an auction is held for the advertisement to solicit bids, and when an advertiser who meets the conditions wins the bid, the winning advertisement image is distributed to the printer 200 and the advertisement is printed. However, there is a possibility that printing may not be possible due to some malfunction in the printer 200. If printing is not possible, the advertiser of the advertisement will miss the opportunity to obtain the effects of the advertisement, and the billing process will be delayed or complicated. The feature of this embodiment is to prevent the billing process from being delayed or complicated by confirming the printing failure early when the advertisement cannot be printed by the printer 200 despite winning the bid in response to the solicitation of bids. The details of this process will be explained below with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figures 2 and 3 are sequence flows representing the control performed by the cooperation of the advertisement provision server 100, the advertisement management server 500, the printer 200, and the terminal device 300.

[0025] In Figure 2, first, in S1, it is determined whether the delivery activation conditions for initiating the delivery of advertising images to the printer 200 have been met. An example of a delivery activation condition is that the time reserved in advance by the user of the printer 200 as their advertising delivery time has arrived.

[0026] In other words, for example, in this embodiment, the user can perform appropriate operations on the terminal device 300 to set an advertising delivery schedule for that user on an appropriate settings screen displayed on the display unit. The results of setting the advertising delivery times for all users using the printer 200 are stored in the storage unit 115 of the advertising server 100 as a correlation associated with the user ID. In S1, based on this correlation, it is determined whether the current time corresponds to an advertising delivery time for any user.

[0027] Alternatively, instead of having the user reserve an ad delivery time in advance and then having the ad image delivered to the printer 200 at that time, the ad image may be delivered to the printer 200 in response to a print request from the user via the printer 200's control panel 250 or terminal device 300. In this case, the delivery activation condition would be, for example, that the print request from the user is received by the ad delivery server 100.

[0028] In S2A, the ad delivery server 100 sends a request to the printer 200 to obtain status information, and in S2B, the ad delivery server 100 obtains the status information from the printer 200 in response. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the ad delivery server 100 in S2B is an example of the status information acquisition process.

[0029] Examples of status information include the following: Information indicating whether printer 200 is online or offline. This information indicates whether printer 200 is experiencing a print-unavailable error, such as being out of paper, having a paper jam, or having its cover open. This information indicates whether the type of paper stored in the printer 200's paper tray is the type intended for printing advertising images. Whether the printer 200 is in a state where good print quality can be ensured. Specifically, for example, in the case of an inkjet printer 200, this information indicates whether or not print smudging occurs based on the results of the ejection detection. This information indicates whether printer 200 is in a so-called "waiting for printing" state, such as when another print job is already running. This information indicates whether printer 200 is in a printable state. For example, if a limit on the number of copies of an advertisement image can be printed, this information indicates whether all of the target advertisement image can be printed, or if a limit on the number of printable colors can be set, this information indicates whether the restricted printable colors are not included in the advertisement image. This information indicates whether the remaining amount of consumables in printer 200 is sufficient. For example, it indicates whether the remaining amount of ink or toner is enough to print the advertisement image.

[0030] Although detailed descriptions were omitted in the above explanation using Figure 1, the various status information mentioned above is acquired by known methods, for example, using appropriate signals, detection mechanisms, or detection programs in the printer 200, and stored in the storage unit 215. Furthermore, the printer 200's online or offline status is determined, for example, if status information cannot be obtained via S2A and S2B, it is determined to be offline; otherwise, it is determined to be online.

[0031] In S5, a bid request for an advertisement, including the minimum bid price, is sent to the advertising management server 500. The minimum bid price is uniquely determined in advance, for example, when soliciting bids for an advertisement image, and is stored in the storage unit 115. In S5, the minimum bid price is determined based on the contents of the storage unit 115, and a bid request including it is sent to the advertising management server 500. The process executed in S5 is an example of a request transmission process, and the control unit 110 that executes S5 is an example of a request transmission unit. The advertisement image is an example of delivery information.

[0032] In response to the submitted bidding request, the ad management server 500 conducts an auction for suitable ads and solicits bids. At that time, the bidding request requires ad images that meet predetermined conditions, including having a bid price equal to or higher than the minimum bid price.

[0033] In S7, the bidding results from the auction conducted in response to the bidding request sent in S5 are received from the ad management server 500. The received content includes the ad image submitted by any bidder that meets the specified conditions requested in the bidding request. If no bids meet the specified conditions requested in the bidding request, that fact is included in the received content.

[0034] In S8, based on the received information from the ad management server 500 in S7 in response to the bid request sent in S5, it is determined whether there is a bid that meets the winning conditions, and bids that meet the winning conditions are determined to be the winning advertisement. Winning conditions include, for example, having the highest bid price. In addition, meeting predetermined conditions requested in the bid request may also be considered winning conditions. The ad image of the determined advertisement is an example of specific distribution information, the processing performed in S8 is an example of information determination processing, and the control unit 110 that executes S8 is an example of an information determination unit.

[0035] In S9, after the advertisement is decided in S8, it is determined whether the conditions for canceling the bid for the decided advertisement have been met. In this example, after the advertisement image is decided in S8, and before the hold notification is sent in S10 (described later), it is determined whether the conditions for canceling the bid have been met. Specifically, as with S2A and S2B above, status information at this time is obtained again from the printer 200. Based on the latest status information obtained, it is determined whether the printer 200 is in a state where it cannot receive and print the advertisement image. For example, the conditions for canceling the winning bid are met if the printer 200 is offline, shows a print-unavailable error, the type of paper stored is not suitable for printing advertising images, is not in a state where good print quality can be ensured, is in a print-waiting state, is not in a print-ready management state, or has insufficient consumables. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 in S9 is an example of a rejection condition determination process. The bid cancellation conditions determined in S9 are also an example of bid rejection conditions.

[0036] If it is determined in S9 that the conditions for canceling the successful bid have been met, the result is Yes, and the next S10 is not executed, and the processing of the flow in Figure 2 at the ad provider server 100 ends. At this time, although not shown in the diagram, for example, a "defeat notification" (see S15 below) to notify all advertisers who have made bids that their bids will not be accepted may be sent to the ad management server 500. Alternatively, a "bid cancellation notification" to notify all advertisers who have made bids that their bids will be canceled may be sent to the ad management server 500. If it is determined in S9 that the conditions for canceling the successful bid have not been met, the result is No, and processing moves on to S10.

[0037] In S10, a "hold notification" is sent to the advertising management server 500 to inform advertisers who have submitted bids that meet the bidding conditions, i.e., the successful bidders, that their bids will be accepted and stored without being deleted. The advertising management server 500 then transmits this hold notification to the successful bidder's terminal device, etc. If there are multiple bids that meet the bidding conditions, multiple hold notifications may be sent. The hold notification is an example of a delivery decision notification for specific delivery information, and the processing performed by the control unit 110 of the advertising provision server 100 in S10 is an example of notification processing.

[0038] In S15, a "defeat notification" is sent to the advertising management server 500 to inform advertisers who have submitted bids that do not meet the bidding conditions, i.e., non-winning bidders, that their bids will not be accepted because there is another winning bidder. The advertising management server 500 then forwards this defeat notification to the terminal device of the non-winning bidder. If there are multiple bids that do not meet the bidding conditions, multiple defeat notifications may be sent.

[0039] In S17, an advertising image request is sent to the advertising management server 500 requesting an advertising image from the successful bidder who sent a hold notification in S10. If there are multiple successful bidders, multiple advertising images may be requested. In response to the above advertising image request, in S20 the advertising management server 500 sends the advertising image from the successful bidder, which is received and acquired by the advertising provision server 100. The acquired advertising image is stored, for example, in the storage unit 115. The process executed in S20 is an example of a specific distribution information acquisition process, and the control unit 110 that executes S20 is an example of a specific distribution information acquisition unit.

[0040] In S23, after the advertisement is decided in S8, it is determined whether the conditions for canceling the successful bid for the decided advertisement have been met. In this example, after acquiring the advertisement image in S20 and before delivering the print-ready distribution image in S30 (described later), it is determined whether the conditions for canceling the successful bid have been met. Specifically, as with S2A and S2B above, status information at this timing is acquired again from the printer 200. Based on the latest acquired status information, it is determined whether the printer 200 is in a state where it cannot receive and print the advertisement image. The determination is the same as in S9. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 in S23 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination process, and the control unit 110 that executes S23 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination unit. Furthermore, the bid cancellation condition determined in S23 is an example of a bid withdrawal condition.

[0041] In S25, a deadline is set, which is one of the criteria for determining whether printing is successful or unsuccessful in the printer 200 mentioned above. In this embodiment, three types of deadlines are provided. The first deadline is the first predetermined deadline by which the advertising server 100 bills the advertising management server 500 for the distribution fee. That is, when the advertisement image distributed to the printer 200 is printed, the successful bidder is billed for the cost of printing the advertisement (see S140 below). In this embodiment, the first predetermined deadline can be set in S25 as a time limit until printing on the printer 200 is successful and the billing for the cost is made. An example of the first predetermined deadline is within 10 minutes from the start of the timer count in S27 below. The first predetermined deadline may be stored in the storage unit 115 in advance, or it may be set upon instruction from the advertising management server 500. Other deadlines are the second and third predetermined deadlines for completing the printing of the advertisement. That is, in cases where the value of the advertisement would significantly decrease if printing is not completed within a certain time range, such as in advertisements for the sale of fresh food, advertisers may make strict time requirements. In this embodiment, to address this, the second and third predetermined deadlines can be set in S25 as time limits for the time when the advertisement printing will be completed on the printer 200. The differences in processing between the second and third predetermined deadlines will be described later. An example of setting the second predetermined deadline is, for example, setting it by the remaining time, such as within 24 hours from the start of the timing count in S27 described later, or setting it by the end time, such as by 10 a.m. The second and third predetermined deadlines may be stored in the storage unit 115 in advance, or they may be set in response to instructions from the advertisement management server 500. They may also be attached to the advertisement image transmitted from the advertisement management server 500 in S20. Furthermore, the second and third predetermined deadlines may be the same date and time, or the third predetermined deadline may be a later date and time than the second predetermined deadline. In S25, all of the above-mentioned first, second, and third predetermined deadlines may be set, or only one or two of them may be set.

[0042] In S27, the timer countdown for the deadline set in S25 begins.

[0043] In S30, a distribution image is created that contains the winning bidder's advertisement image, i.e., a print-ready distribution image containing information including the advertisement image obtained from the advertisement management server 500 in S20. The print-ready distribution image may be the advertisement image itself obtained through the bidding process, or it may have appropriate information added to it. For example, this includes cases where multiple advertisements are combined into a single print-ready image for distribution. Alternatively, instead of the advertising server 100 creating the print-ready distribution image, the advertising management server 500 may create the print-ready distribution image, and the advertising server 100 may acquire that print-ready distribution image. Furthermore, instead of creating the print-ready distribution image in S30, print data for printing the print-ready distribution image may be created using various page description languages. A print instruction including the created print-ready distribution image is distributed to the printer 200. This print instruction may also include a command to instruct the printer 200 to cancel the printing process if a print cancellation instruction is entered via S60, S97, S115, etc., or if a printer error occurs in S75, as described later. The print-ready distribution image is an example of print-ready distribution information, and the process executed in S30 is an example of distribution processing.

[0044] In S35, the print instruction sent in S30 is received by the printer 200 and stored in the storage unit 215. Subsequently, the printing unit 270 starts printing the printable distribution image included in the print instruction. That is, in S35, the printable distribution image based on the advertisement image acquired in S20 is printed. In S30, the advertisement server 100 may distribute the printable distribution image to the printer 200 via another relay device. Alternatively, instead of distributing the printable distribution image to the printer 200, the printer 200 may send a page description language for printing the printable distribution image or a link to the distribution image. If a link to the printable distribution image is sent, the printer 200 accesses the link to acquire the printable distribution image, and the printing unit 270 executes printing. The control unit 110 that executes S35 is an example of a printing unit.

[0045] After S35, in S40, the advertising server 100 starts a waiting process to receive a print progress notification indicating the progress of the processing of print-ready images in the printer 200. A print progress notification is an example of progress information.

[0046] Moving to Figure 3, in S45, it is determined whether the printer 200 has completed printing the print-ready distribution image, including the advertisement image, which was started in S35. If printing is complete, it is determined as Yes and the process moves to S50, where the content of the print progress notification sent in S90 (described later) is set to "Printing successful". Subsequently, in S90, the printer 200 sends the print progress notification indicating "Printing successful" and it is received by the advertisement provision server 100.

[0047] In the advertising server 100, after the waiting process starts in S40, S55 determines whether the content of the print progress notification received in S40 satisfies predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distributed image. For example, if the printer 200 completes the printing but it is outside the time limit, or if the printer 200 is offline and cannot send a print command, and the print progress notification cannot be obtained within the time limit, it is determined that the content of the print progress notification does not satisfy predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distributed image. It should be noted that determining that the above predetermined conditions are not met corresponds to determining that the bid cancellation conditions have been met. Specifically, in S55, it is determined whether the elapsed time from S27 has reached the first predetermined deadline set in S25 and a timeout has occurred while the above print progress notification has not been received. For example, if the first predetermined deadline arrives before the print progress notification sent in S90 is received for reasons such as printing not being completed, S55 is determined to be Yes, and in S60 a print cancellation command is sent from the advertising server 100 and received by the printer 200. After S60, processing moves to S120, which will be described later. In printer 200, where a print cancellation instruction has been received, S62 is determined to be Yes, the print distribution image received from the advertising server 100 in S30 is deleted from the storage unit 215, and the print process is canceled. Then, the processing of the flow shown in Figure 3 in printer 200 is completed. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 in S55 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination process, and the control unit 110 that executes S55 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination unit.

[0048] If the first predetermined deadline has not yet arrived at the advertising server 100, S55 is judged as No, and processing proceeds to S95. In S95, it is determined whether the content of the print progress notification received in S40 satisfies the predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distributed image. For example, if the printer 200 completes the printing but it is outside the time limit, or if the printer 200 is offline and cannot send a print command, and the print progress notification cannot be obtained within the time limit, it is determined that the content of the print progress notification does not satisfy the predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distributed image. Note that it is determined that the above predetermined conditions are not met, which corresponds to the determination that the bid cancellation conditions have been met. Specifically, in S95, it is determined whether the elapsed time from S27 during the period when the above print progress notification was not received has reached the second predetermined deadline set in S25 and a timeout has occurred. For example, if the second predetermined deadline arrives before the print progress notification sent in S90 is received, for reasons such as the printing not yet being completed, S95 is determined to be Yes, and a print cancellation instruction is sent from the advertising server 100 in S97 and received by the printer 200. After S97, the process moves to S120, which will be described later. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the ad delivery server 100 in S95 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination process, and the control unit 110 that executes S95 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination unit.

[0049] Furthermore, if the user cancels the print operation on the terminal device 300 before printing is complete, as described above, a corresponding print cancellation instruction is sent from the terminal device 300 in S65 and received by the printer 200.

[0050] In printer 200, if a print cancellation instruction is received in S97 or S65 as described above, S70 following S62 is determined to be Yes, and processing moves to S80, which will be described later. In S80, the print distribution image received from the advertising server 100 in S30 is deleted from the storage unit 215, and the printing process is canceled. The print progress notification is then set to "Print Failed". In this case, the print progress notification will also include information on the reason for the print failure, such as whether it was due to the arrival of the second processing deadline or a cancellation by the user.

[0051] If no print cancellation instruction is received, S70 is judged as No, and processing moves to S75. In S75, it is determined whether or not a printer error has occurred. A printer error is a condition in which some malfunction occurs that makes it difficult to start or continue printing, such as a paper jam, depletion of ink consumables, or the printer 200's communication unit 260 being offline and not connected to the network NT. If no printer error has occurred, S75 is judged as No, and processing returns to S45, and printing continues until S45 is judged as Yes upon completion of printing.

[0052] If S75 is judged as "Yes" and transitions to S85, the print progress notification will be set to "Printing Incomplete". In this case, the print progress notification will also include information about the reason why printing was incomplete, such as whether it was due to a printer error or a paper jam.

[0053] Subsequently, in S90, a print progress notification indicating the processing progress at printer 200, such as "Printing successful," "Printing failed," or "Printing not completed," is sent from printer 200 and received by the advertising server 100.

[0054] On the other hand, in the advertising server 100, if the second processing deadline has not yet arrived in S95, a No determination is made, and processing moves to S100. In S100, it is determined whether the content of the print progress notification received in S40 satisfies predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distributed image. For example, if the printer 200 completed printing but it was outside the time limit, or if the printer 200 was offline and could not send a print command, and therefore the print progress notification could not be obtained within the time limit, it is determined that the content of the print progress notification does not satisfy predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distributed image. It should be noted that determining that the above predetermined conditions are not met corresponds to determining that the conditions for canceling the successful bid have been met. Specifically, in S100, it is determined whether the print progress notification sent from the printer 200 in S90 was received, but the elapsed time from S27 at the time of receipt reached the third predetermined deadline set in S25, resulting in a timeout. If the third predetermined deadline has arrived, S100 is determined to be Yes, and processing moves to S120, which will be described later. If the specified deadline has not passed, S100 will be judged as No, and the process will move to S110. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the ad delivery server 100 in S100 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination process, and the control unit 110 that executes S100 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination unit.

[0055] In S110, it is determined whether the content of the print progress notification received in S40 satisfies predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distributed image. For example, if the content of the print progress notification indicates a printer error such as out of paper, paper jam, out of ink, or being offline and unable to start printing within a predetermined time, it is determined that the above predetermined conditions are not met. Also, if the content of the print progress notification indicates, for example, that the user canceled the printing process midway, or that the printer ran out of paper, had a paper jam, or ran out of ink during printing, it is determined that the above predetermined conditions are not met. Note that determining that the above predetermined conditions are not met corresponds to determining that the conditions for canceling the successful bid have been met. Specifically, in S110, it is determined whether the print progress notification received from printer 200 in S90 indicated "printing not completed". If the print progress notification indicated "printing successful" or "printing failed", it is determined to be No, and the process moves to S117 described below. If the print progress notification indicates "printing not complete," a Yes decision is made, and in S115, a print cancellation instruction is sent from the advertising server 100 and received by the printer 200. After S115, processing moves to S120, which will be described later. In the printer 200, if a print cancellation instruction is received from the advertising server 100 in S115, the print distribution image sent in S30 is deleted from the storage unit 215, and the printing process is stopped. Then, the processing of the flow in Figure 3 in the printer 200 is completed. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the ad delivery server 100 in S110 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination process, and the control unit 110 that executes S110 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination unit.

[0056] In S117, it is determined whether the content of the print progress notification received in S40 satisfies predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distributed image. For example, if the content of the print progress notification indicates a printer error such as out of paper, paper jam, out of ink, or being offline and unable to start printing within a predetermined time, it is determined that the above predetermined conditions are not met. Also, if the content of the print progress notification indicates, for example, that the user canceled the printing process midway, or that the printer ran out of paper, had a paper jam, or ran out of ink during printing, it is determined that the above predetermined conditions are not met. It should be noted that determining that the above predetermined conditions are not met corresponds to determining that the conditions for canceling the successful bid have been met. Specifically, in S117, it is determined whether the print progress notification received from printer 200 in S90 was a notification indicating "print failure". If the print progress notification indicated "print failure", S117 is determined to be Yes, and the process moves to S120 described below. If the print progress notification indicated "print success", it is determined to be No, and the process moves to S140. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 in S117 is an example of a condition determination process, and the control unit 110 that executes S117 is an example of a condition determination unit.

[0057] In S140, the ad delivery server 100 sends a billing notification to the ad management server 500 to the advertiser, who is the successful bidder and provided the ad images included in the print-ready distribution images sent in S30, in order to bill them for the compensation corresponding to the printing of the ad.

[0058] In S145, the advertising management server 500, which receives the transmitted billing notice, sends the billing notice to the terminal device of the successful bidder.

[0059] In S150, the advertising server 100 stores the print-ready distribution image sent to the printer 200 in S30 in the storage unit 115 as a success history, linking it with the printer ID of the corresponding printer 200, the user ID of the corresponding user, the current time information, and the bidding conditions when the advertising image contained in the print-ready distribution image was successfully bid on, and then terminates processing.

[0060] In S120, following S23, S60, S97, S100, S115, and S117, the ad provider server 100 sends a bid cancellation notice withdrawing the aforementioned successful bid determined in S8, and this notice is received by the ad management server 500. That is, if it is determined in S23, S55, S95, S100, S110, and S117 that the conditions for bid cancellation have been met, a bid cancellation notice to withdraw the successful bid for the ad image is sent to the ad management server 500. The ad management server 500 then notifies the advertiser, who is the successful bidder for the ad in question, of the cancellation of the bid. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 in S120 is an example of a withdrawal information transmission process, and the control unit 110 that executes S120 is an example of a withdrawal information transmission unit. Furthermore, a bid cancellation notification is an example of bid withdrawal information.

[0061] In S130, the advertising server 100 stores the print-to-distribution image whose bid was canceled in S120 in the storage unit 115 as a failure history, linking it with historical information such as the bid conditions when the advertising image included in the print-to-distribution image was won, the aforementioned failure reason information, and the date and time the failure was confirmed, and then terminates processing.

[0062] <Effects of the Embodiment> As described above, in this embodiment, the control unit 110 of the advertising provision server 100 sends an advertising bid request to the advertising management server 500 in S5. In S8, the control unit 110 determines which advertisement will be won from among the advertisements received from the advertising management server 500 in response to the bid request sent in S5. In S20, the control unit 110 acquires the advertising image of the winning advertisement determined in S8. In S30, the control unit 110 delivers a printable distribution image based on the advertising image acquired in S20 to the printer 200. After the successful bidder for the advertisement is determined in S8, the control unit 110 determines in S23, S55, S95, S100, S110, and S117 whether the conditions for canceling the successful bid for the advertisement have been met. In S120, if the control unit 110 determines in S23, S55, S95, S100, S110, and S117 that the conditions for canceling the successful bid have been met, it sends a successful bid cancellation notice to the advertisement management server 500 to cancel the successful bid for the advertisement.

[0063] As a result of the above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to determine early whether or not printing will fail after a bid request has been made. Therefore, if an advertisement cannot be printed despite having won a bid in response to the bid solicitation, the printing failure can be confirmed early and the winning bid can be withdrawn, preventing delays or complications in the billing process.

[0064] Furthermore, in this embodiment in particular, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 acquires status information of the printer 200 in S2B. In S9 and S23, the control unit 110 determines, as a condition for canceling a successful bid, whether the status information acquired in S2B indicates that the printer 200 is in a state where it has received the print distribution image but is unable to print it. According to this embodiment, since the printer 200 is determined to be unable to print advertisements based on its status information, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not printing will fail.

[0065] In this embodiment, the control unit 110 of the ad delivery server 100 sends a pending notification regarding the successful bid ad to the ad management server 500 in S10. The control unit 110 further determines in S9 whether the successful bid cancellation condition has been met before sending the delivery decision notification in S10, and if the successful bid cancellation condition is met in S9, S10 is not executed. According to this embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not printing will fail before sending a pending notification. Therefore, if an advertisement cannot be printed despite having submitted a bid in response to a call for bids, the printing failure can be confirmed early and the winning bid can be withdrawn, preventing delays or complications in the billing process.

[0066] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 determines in S23 whether the bid cancellation conditions have been met, after acquiring the advertising image in S20 and before distributing the print-ready distribution image in S30. According to this embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not printing will fail after acquiring the advertisement image and before distributing the print-ready image. Therefore, if an advertisement cannot be printed despite having won a bid in response to a public offering, the printing failure can be confirmed early and the winning bid can be withdrawn, preventing delays or complications in the billing process.

[0067] In this embodiment, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 waits in S40 for a print progress notification indicating the progress of processing of the print-ready distribution image in the printer 200. In S55, S95, S100, S110, and S117, the control unit 110 determines whether the content of the print progress notification waited in S40 satisfies predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distribution image. According to this embodiment, for example, if an error occurs during the printing of an advertisement or if the completion of printing is delayed, the printing failure can be confirmed and the winning bid can be withdrawn. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or reduce situations in which an advertisement cannot be printed despite having won a bid in response to a call for bids.

[0068] <Variation> It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from its spirit and technical idea. Such modifications will be described in order below. The same reference numerals are used for parts equivalent to those in the above embodiments, and their descriptions will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0069] (1) When determining the conditions for canceling a successful bid based on information other than status information In the above embodiment, a determination was made in S9 and S23 as to whether or not the bid cancellation conditions were met based on the status information obtained in S2B, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the steps S3A and S3B may be added instead of the aforementioned S2A and S2B. Alternatively, the steps S3A and S3B may be added in addition to the aforementioned S2A and S2B. In S3A, the ad delivery server 100 outputs a request to the printer 200 to acquire delivery restriction information, and in S3B, the ad delivery server 100 acquires the delivery restriction information from the printer 200 in response. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the ad delivery server 100 in S3B is an example of the delivery restriction information acquisition process.

[0070] Examples of distribution restriction information include the following: Information regarding the number of times advertising images have been delivered by printer 200. For example, information indicating whether the maximum number of times advertising images have been delivered within a specified period has been reached. Information related to the timing of delivery to printer 200. For example, if a period during which the advertising image can be printed by printer 200, that is, the time when the advertising image should be printed from the printer 200's perspective, is pre-set, this information indicates whether the current time falls within that printable period.

[0071] The above-mentioned distribution restriction information is acquired by known methods using appropriate signals, detection mechanisms, or detection programs in the printer 200 and stored, for example, in the storage unit 215. The above-mentioned distribution restriction information may be pre-stored in the storage unit 215 of the printer 200, or it may be stored in the advertising provision server 100 or the advertising management server 500.

[0072] In this modified example, in S9 and S23, as a condition for canceling the successful bid, the latest distribution restriction information at this time is obtained, similar to S3A and S3B above, and it is determined whether the obtained distribution restriction information is in a state where the distribution of printable distribution images to the printer 200 is not permitted. In this case as well, the process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising provision server 100 in S9 is an example of a rejection condition determination process, and the successful bid cancellation condition determined in S9 is an example of a rejection condition. Furthermore, the process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising provision server 100 in S23 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination process, the control unit 110 executing S23 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination unit, and the successful bid cancellation condition determined in S23 is an example of a successful bid withdrawal condition.

[0073] In this modified example, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 acquires distribution restriction information related to the printer 200 in S3B. In S9 and S23, the control unit 110 determines, as a condition for canceling the successful bid, whether the distribution restriction information acquired in S3B indicates a state where the distribution of printable images to the printer 200 is not permitted. According to this modified version, the printer 200 is determined to be unable to print advertisements based on the distribution restriction information related to the printer 200. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether printing will fail before distributing the print-ready distribution image to the printer 200.

[0074] (2) Others In the above, as an example, we have described a case in which no charge is made to the advertising management server 500 in S140, and a bid cancellation notice is sent from the advertising provider server 100 to the advertising management server 500 as bid withdrawal information in S120, but the case is not limited to this. That is, for example, if the above charge has been made and payment for the charge has been made by an external server, the advertising provider server 100 may send an instruction to the advertising management server 500 as bid withdrawal information ordering a refund of the charge. Alternatively, instead of this refund instruction, the advertising provider server 100 may send a compensation instruction to the advertising management server 500 as bid withdrawal information ordering a reduction in other charges to be collected from the external server. Alternatively, if the above charge has been made but payment for the charge has not yet been made by an external server, the advertising provider server 100 may send an instruction to the advertising management server 500 as bid withdrawal information ordering the payment to be stopped. In either case, the transmission process performed by the ad provider server 100 to the ad management server 500 is an example of the withdrawal information transmission process.

[0075] Furthermore, the above explanation has used the example of a case where the process of transmitting the bid withdrawal information is performed in real time each time an advertisement that becomes the winning bid in S8 of Figure 2 is determined, but it is not limited to this. That is, the process of transmitting the bid withdrawal information may be performed by aggregating the data at predetermined intervals, such as once at the beginning of each month.

[0076] Furthermore, in the above scenario, the advertising server 100, terminal device 300, and printer 200 perform their respective processes to deliver the advertising images. However, the specific processes performed by each of these devices—that is, how their roles are divided—can be freely changed as needed. For example, it is possible for the printer 200 to perform all of these processes.

[0077] Furthermore, the sequence flows shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4 above do not limit the present invention to the procedures shown in the above flows. Procedures may be added, deleted, or their order changed without departing from the spirit and technical idea of ​​the invention.

[0078] In addition to what has already been described above, the methods described in the above embodiments and their respective modifications may be used in appropriate combinations.

[0079] Furthermore, although not to be exemplified individually, the present invention may be implemented with various modifications without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0080] 1. Information distribution and printing system 100 Ad delivery servers (an example of a delivery information delivery server) 110 Control Unit 115 Storage section 200 Printers (an example of a printing device) 500 Ad management server (an example of a delivery information management server)

Claims

1. A distribution information provider server equipped with a control unit, which receives distribution information managed by a distribution information management server and distributes it to a printing device, The control unit, A request transmission process that sends a request for bidding on distribution information to the aforementioned distribution information management server, An information determination process to determine the specific distribution information that will be awarded the bid from the distribution information management server received in response to the bid request transmitted in the request transmission process, A specific distribution information acquisition process that acquires the specific distribution information determined in the information determination process, A distribution process that distributes printable distribution information based on the specific distribution information obtained in the specific distribution information acquisition process to the printing device, After determining the specific distribution information in the information determination process, a withdrawal condition determination process is performed to determine whether or not the conditions for withdrawing the successful bid for the specific distribution information have been met, If the withdrawal condition determination process determines that the conditions for withdrawing the successful bid have been met, a withdrawal information transmission process is performed to send the successful bid withdrawal information for withdrawing the successful bid for the specified distribution information to the distribution information management server. A distribution information server configured to perform the following actions.

2. The control unit further, A status information acquisition process for acquiring status information of the aforementioned printing device. It is configured to perform the following actions: The distribution information provider server according to claim 1, wherein the withdrawal condition determination process determines whether the status information obtained in the status information acquisition process indicates that the printing device is in a state where it cannot receive and print the print distribution information, as the condition for withdrawing the successful bid.

3. The control unit further, A distribution restriction information acquisition process for acquiring distribution restriction information related to the aforementioned printing device, It is configured to perform the following actions: The distribution information provider server according to claim 1, wherein the withdrawal condition determination process determines whether the distribution restriction information obtained in the distribution restriction information acquisition process is in a state where the distribution of the print distribution information to the printing device is not permitted, as the condition for withdrawing the successful bid.

4. The control unit further, A notification process that sends a notification of the decision to distribute the specified distribution information to the distribution information management server, It is configured to perform the following actions: The control unit further, Prior to sending the notification of the decision to deliver in the notification process, a rejection condition determination process is performed to determine whether or not the conditions for rejecting the successful bid have been met, It is configured to perform, The distribution information server according to claim 1, wherein if the conditions for rejecting the successful bid are met in the rejection condition determination process, the notification process is not executed.

5. The control unit, The distribution information provider server according to claim 1, wherein the withdrawal condition determination process determines whether the bid withdrawal condition has been met after obtaining the specific distribution information in the specific distribution information acquisition process and before distributing the print distribution information in the distribution process.

6. The control unit further, A waiting process for waiting for progress information indicating the progress of processing the print distribution information in the printing device, It is configured to perform the following actions: In the withdrawal condition determination process, the content of the progress information received in the waiting process is determined to determine whether or not it satisfies the predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print distribution information. A distribution information provider server according to claim 1, which performs the determination.

7. An information distribution and printing system, A request transmission unit that transmits a request for bidding on distribution information, An information determination unit determines the specific distribution information that will be awarded the bid from among the distribution information received in response to the bid request transmitted by the request transmission unit, A specific distribution information acquisition unit that acquires the specific distribution information determined by the information determination unit, A printing unit prints a printable distribution image based on the specific distribution information acquired by the specific distribution information acquisition unit, After the information determination unit determines the specific distribution information, and before the printing unit prints the distribution image for printing, a withdrawal condition determination unit determines whether or not the conditions for withdrawing the successful bid for the specific distribution information have been met, If the withdrawal condition determination unit determines that the conditions for withdrawing the successful bid have been met, the withdrawal information transmission unit transmits successful bid withdrawal information for withdrawing the successful bid for the specified distribution information, An information distribution and printing system having the following features.

8. The withdrawal condition determination unit determines, as a condition for withdrawing the successful bid, whether the status information of the printing unit indicates that the printing unit is in a state where it cannot receive and print the printable image. The information distribution and printing system according to claim 7, configured in such a manner.

Images