Information distribution server and information distribution printing system

Abstract

To prevent or reduce situations where advertisements cannot be printed for extended periods despite winning a bid. [Solution] The control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 performs the following actions: S5, which sends an advertising bid request to the advertising management server 500; S8, which determines the winning advertising image from among the advertisements received from the advertising management server 500 in response to the bid request sent in S5; S20, which acquires the image of the winning advertising determined in S8; S30, which delivers a printable distribution image based on the advertising image acquired in S20 to the printer 200; and S2, which, at a predetermined timing, sends a print lock instruction to the printer 200 to lock printing other than the printable distribution image.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as described in, for example, Patent Document 1, 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 charging corresponding to the bid amount of the advertisement is executed. A technique is known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[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, after bidding, it may take a long time due to printing execution of normal printed matter other than advertisements until the winning advertisement is actually printed by the printing device. In this case, the advertiser of the advertisement misses the opportunity to obtain the effect of the advertisement, and there are problems such as delay in charging processing and complication of management.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a distribution information providing server and an information distribution printing system that can prevent or reduce a situation where an advertisement cannot be printed for a long time 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 comprising 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 first print data based on the specific distribution information acquired in the specific distribution information acquisition process to the printing device; and a restriction instruction transmission process that, at a predetermined first timing, transmits a restriction instruction to the printing device that restricts printing other than the printing of the first print data in the printing device.

[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 the specific distribution information that 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 the first print data based on the specific distribution information acquired in the specific distribution information acquisition process to the printing device. In the restriction instruction transmission process, the control unit transmits a restriction instruction to the printing device at a predetermined first timing that restricts printing other than the printing of the first print data. According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent printing other than advertising from occurring between the time an advertisement is successfully bid on and the time it is actually printed by the printing device. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or reduce situations in which an advertisement cannot be printed for a long time despite having won a bid in response to a public tender.

[0008] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an information distribution and printing system comprising: a request transmission unit that transmits a request for bidding on distribution information; an information determination unit that determines specific distribution information that will be awarded the bid from among the distribution information received in response to the request for bidding 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 that prints a specific image based on the specific distribution information acquired by the specific distribution information acquisition unit; and a restriction processing unit that, at a predetermined timing, restricts printing other than the printing of the specific image in the printing unit.

[0009] In the information distribution and printing system of the present invention, the request transmission unit transmits a request for bidding on distribution information, and the information determination unit determines the specific distribution information that will be awarded the bid from the distribution information received in response to the request for bidding transmitted by the request transmission unit. The specific distribution information acquisition unit acquires the specific distribution information determined by the information determination unit, and the printing unit prints a specific image based on the specific distribution information acquired by the specific distribution information acquisition unit. The restriction processing unit restricts printing other than the printing of the specific image by the printing unit at a predetermined timing. According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent printing other than advertising from taking place between the time an advertisement is successfully bid on and the time it is actually printed by the printing department. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or reduce situations in which an advertisement cannot be printed for a long time despite having won a bid in response to a public tender. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent or reduce situations in which advertisements cannot be printed for a long period of time despite having won a bid in response to a tender request. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [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 illustrates an example of the process performed collaboratively by the ad provider server, ad management server, terminal device, and printer in a modified case where printing is locked after the successful bid for an ad is decided but before a hold notification is sent. [Figure 5] 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 print lock is applied when acquiring the winning bid advertisement image. [Figure 6] This sequence flow shows an example of the processing flow executed collaboratively by the ad provider server, ad management server, terminal device, and printer in a modified version that locks the print output when delivering printable images. [Figure 7] This sequence flow shows an example of the processing flow performed collaboratively by the advertising server, advertising management server, terminal device, and printer in a modified case where the printer executes a print lock at a predetermined timing. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] 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.

[0013] <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.

[0014] <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, storage unit, communication unit, etc. (not shown). Various programs are stored in the storage unit. The control unit executes the various programs stored in the storage unit. The various programs include programs that execute the processes shown in the flows in Figures 2 to 6 described later. The user can input various instructions to the terminal device 300 by operating the operation unit.

[0015] <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, etc.

[0016] <Advertisement providing server> The advertisement providing server 100 is, for example, a server installed and managed by the manufacturer of the printer 200. The advertisement providing server 100 receives an advertisement image from the advertisement management server 500 at a predetermined timing. The advertisement providing server 100 distributes the acquired advertisement image to the printer 200 to cause printing to be performed. The advertisement providing server 100 is an example of a distribution information providing server.

[0017] Specifically, the advertisement providing server 100 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 115, a communication unit 140, etc. The control unit 110, the storage unit 115, the communication unit 140, etc. are connected via a bus 105 so as to be able to transmit and receive information. The storage unit 115 is constituted by, for example, a RAM, a ROM, an EEPROM, an HDD, etc. Various programs 120 and various data 130 are stored in the storage unit 115. The various programs 120 include an information distribution program that executes the control content of the advertisement providing server 100 shown by the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 to 6 described later, and the various data 130 include a printer ID of the printer 200, a user ID, an advertisement image, etc.

[0018] The control unit 110 is a device that performs data processing, and is, for example, a processor such as 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, the terminal device 300, the user management server 400, and the advertisement management server 500 connected to the network NT. The communication unit 140 includes hardware such as a NIC (Network Interface Card) for connecting to Ethernet (registered trademark), is connected to the network NT, and communicates with the printer 200, the terminal device 300, the user management server 400, and the advertisement management server 500.

[0019] <Advertisement management server> The advertising management server 500 transmits advertising images for printing on the printer 200 to the advertising provision server 100. The advertising management server 500 has a control unit (not shown), a storage unit, a communication unit, etc., and in this example, it receives bid requests from the advertising provision server 100 via the communication unit. Multiple advertiser terminal devices or servers (not shown) are connected to the network NT, and the control unit of the advertising management server 500 executes an auction corresponding to the bid request for advertising images submitted by these advertisers and acquires a suitable advertising image by bidding on the auction. When a successful bid that meets the predetermined conditions of the auction is made, the control unit of the advertising management server 500 acquires the corresponding advertising image from the terminal device, etc., of the successful bidder advertiser. The acquired advertising image is transmitted from the advertising management server 500 to the advertising provision server 100 via the communication unit, and the receiving advertising provision server 100 further transmits it to the printer 200 for printing. Alternatively, the ad provider server 100 may obtain the ad images from the ad management server 500, or the ad management server 500 may obtain ad images from another external server and send them to the ad provider server 100. The ad management server 500 is an example of a distribution information management server.

[0020] The servers 100, 400, and 500 described above may each consist of a single standalone "server," or each may be composed of multiple servers. Alternatively, at least two of the functions of these servers 100, 400, and 500 may be provided by a single standalone "server."

[0021] <Printer> The printer 200 is assigned the aforementioned printer ID. The printer 200 includes a control unit 210, a storage unit 215, a display unit 240, an operation unit 250, a communication unit 260, a printing unit 270, and the like. The control unit 210, storage unit 215, display unit 240, operation unit 250, communication unit 260, and printing unit 270 are connected via a bus 205 to enable information transmission and reception. The printer 200 is an example of a printing device.

[0022] 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 to 6 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] <Features of the Embodiment> As described above, in this embodiment, an auction is held for the advertisement to solicit bids, and when a successful bid is made by an advertiser who meets the conditions, the winning advertisement image is distributed to the printer 200 and the advertisement is printed. However, in some cases, a long time may be required between the time of bidding and the actual printing of the winning advertisement by the printer 200 due to the printing of other normal printed materials. In this case, the advertiser of the advertisement misses the opportunity to obtain the effects of the advertisement, and there are problems such as delays in billing processing and increased complexity of management. The feature of this embodiment is to prevent or reduce the situation in which an advertisement cannot be printed for a long time despite being successfully bid on in response to the bidding. 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.

[0027] In Figure 2, first, in S1, it is determined whether the timing for executing a print lock (hereinafter referred to as the "print lock timing"), which locks printing other than advertisements on the printer 200, has occurred before the bid request is sent. The print lock timing is not particularly limited as long as it is before the bid request is sent, but for example it may be a predetermined time before the bid request is sent, or it may be when the user presses a button to request advertisement printing. The print lock timing is an example of a predetermined first timing. If it is not the print lock timing, it is determined to be No, and S1 is repeated until it becomes the print lock timing. If it is determined that it is the print lock timing, it is determined to be Yes, and the process moves to S2.

[0028] In S2, a print lock instruction is sent to the printer 200, instructing it to lock printing other than advertisements. "Locking" a print means "restricting" the printer's printing function so that it cannot print anything other than advertisements. A print lock can also be described as "prohibiting" or "restricting" printing other than advertisements, or "occupying" the printing function to allow only advertisement printing. A print lock instruction is an example of a restriction instruction. Furthermore, the process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertisement provision server 100 in S2 is an example of a restriction instruction transmission process, and the control unit 110 that executes S1 and S2 and the control unit 210 that executes S3 are examples of restriction processing units.

[0029] The method of print locking is not particularly limited. For example, the printer 200 may be prevented from receiving print data related to non-advertising prints, other than print data related to advertising prints sent from the advertising server 100. In this case, print data sent from servers or terminal devices other than the advertising server 100 may be considered as print data related to non-advertising prints and their reception may be prevented. In this case, the print lock instruction sent from the advertising server 100 to the printer 200 in S2 is an example of a non-reception instruction. Alternatively, the printer 200 may be instructed to identify whether the print data sent from the advertising server 100 is related to advertising prints or non-advertising prints, and if it is non-advertising print data, image formation may not be performed. In this case, the print lock instruction sent from the advertising server 100 to the printer 200 in S2 is an example of an image non-formation instruction. Note that print data related to advertising prints is an example of first print data, and print data related to non-advertising prints is an example of second print data.

[0030] In S3, printing other than advertisements on printer 200 is locked. However, certain processes on printer 200 may be excluded from the lock. These specified processes are various processes that do not interfere with advertisement printing, such as scanning (which reads the original document), sending and receiving fax data, and processes that accept user operations that do not involve printing.

[0031] In S4, it is notified that printing other than advertising prints is locked. Specifically, for example, in response to the output of a display signal from the control unit 210 of the printer 200, a notification is displayed on the display unit 240 of the printer 200 indicating that printing other than advertising prints is locked. The notification may be a message or a light. The notification is an example of a restriction notification, and the control unit 210 of the printer 200 that executes S4 is an example of a restriction notification unit. Note that the notification is not limited to the printer 200, but may also be displayed on, for example, the terminal device 300.

[0032] In S5, a bid request for an advertisement, including the minimum bid price, is sent to the ad 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 ad management server 500. The process performed 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. Also, the advertisement is an example of delivery information.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] In S25, a deadline is set, which is one of the criteria for determining whether printing is successful or unsuccessful in the printer 200 as described 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.

[0040] In S27, the timer countdown for the deadline set in S25 begins.

[0041] 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 the first print data and a specific image, and the process executed in S30 is an example of the distribution process.

[0042] 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 print-ready distribution image included in the print instruction. That is, in S35, the print-ready distribution image based on the advertisement image acquired in S20 is printed. In S30, the advertisement provision server 100 may distribute the print-ready distribution image to the printer 200 via another relay device. Alternatively, instead of distributing the print-ready distribution image to the printer 200, the printer 200 may send a page description language for printing the print-ready distribution image or a link to the distribution image. If a link to the print-ready distribution image is sent, the printer 200 accesses the link to acquire the print-ready distribution image, and the printing unit 270 executes the print. The printer 200 executing S35 is an example of a printing unit.

[0043] After S35, in S40, the advertising server 100 starts a waiting process to await a print progress notification indicating the progress of the processing of print-ready images in the printer 200.

[0044] 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.

[0045] In the advertising server 100, after the waiting process starts in S40, S55 determines whether the elapsed time from S27 has reached the first predetermined deadline set in S25 and a timeout has occurred while the above-mentioned print progress notification has not been received. For example, if the first predetermined deadline arrives before the printing progress notification sent in S90 is received for reasons such as printing not yet being completed, S55 is determined to be Yes, and a print cancellation instruction is sent from the advertising server 100 in S60 and received by the printer 200. After S60, the process moves to S120, which will be described later. In the printer 200, which has received the print cancellation instruction, S62 is determined to be Yes, and the print distribution image received from the advertising server 100 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.

[0046] If the first predetermined deadline has not yet arrived at the advertising server 100, S55 is judged as No, and processing moves to S95. In S95, it is determined whether the elapsed time from S27 has reached the second predetermined deadline set in S25 and a timeout has occurred while the above print progress notification has not been received. For example, if the second predetermined deadline arrives before the print progress notification sent in S90 is received for reasons such as printing not yet being completed, S95 is judged as Yes, and a print cancellation instruction is sent from the advertising server 100 in S97 and received by the printer 200. After S97, processing moves to S120, which will be described later.

[0047] 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.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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.

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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.

[0052] On the other hand, in the advertising server 100, if the second processing deadline has not yet arrived in S95, a No judgment is made and processing moves to S100. In S100, although the print progress notification sent from the printer 200 in S90 was received, it is determined whether the elapsed time from S27 at the time of receipt has reached the third predetermined deadline set in S25 and a timeout has occurred. If the third predetermined deadline has arrived, S100 is judged Yes and processing moves to S120 described below. If the third predetermined deadline has not arrived, S100 is judged No and processing moves to S110.

[0053] In S110, it is determined whether the print progress notification received from the printer 200 in S90 indicated "printing not completed". If the print progress notification indicated "printing successful" or "printing failed", the result is No, and processing moves to S117, described below. If the print progress notification indicated "printing not completed", the result is Yes, 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, described below. If the printer 200 receives a print cancellation instruction 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, processing moves to S132, described below.

[0054] In S117, it is determined whether the print progress notification received from printer 200 in S90 indicated a "print failure". If the print progress notification indicated a "print failure", S117 is determined to be Yes, and processing moves to S120, which will be described later. If the print progress notification indicated a "print success", it is determined to be No, and processing moves to S140.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] In S155, it is determined whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the completion of printing. For example, it may be determined whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed since receiving a print progress notification indicating "printing successful". The timing when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the completion of printing is one example of a predetermined second timing. If the predetermined period of time has not elapsed since the completion of printing, it is determined to be No, and S155 is repeated until the predetermined period of time has elapsed. If it is determined that the predetermined period of time has elapsed since the completion of printing, it is determined to be Yes, and the process moves to S131, which will be described later. In addition, in S155, instead of determining when printing is complete, it may be determined whether a predetermined period has elapsed since the print lock timing. Alternatively, the determination in S155 may be omitted, and processing may proceed to S131 almost simultaneously with the receipt of the print progress notification indicating "print successful".

[0059] In S120, following 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. The ad management server 500 then notifies the advertiser, who was the successful bidder for the ad in question, of the cancellation of the bid.

[0060] In S130, the advertising server 100 stores in the storage unit 115, as failure history information, the bidding conditions at the time the advertising images included in the print distribution image were won, the aforementioned failure reason information, the date and time the failure was confirmed, etc., for the print distribution image whose bid was canceled in S120.

[0061] In S131, a print lock release instruction is sent to release the print lock on all printing except advertising prints, which was sent in S2, and the process ends. The process executed in S131 is an example of a restriction release instruction sending process.

[0062] When the printer 200 receives a print lock release instruction, the printer 200 releases the print lock status from S3 in S132 based on the control of the control unit 210, and printing of images other than the print-distributed image becomes possible. Then, in S133, the notification display showing the print lock status, which had been displayed on the display unit 240 since S4, disappears. Then, the processing of the flow in Figure 3 in the printer 200 is completed.

[0063] <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 the winning bid advertisement 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 bid 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. In S2, at the print lock timing, the control unit 110 sends a print lock instruction to the printer 200 to lock printing other than printing the printable distribution image. According to this embodiment, the printer 200 is locked to print before the advertisement, which was successfully bid on, is actually printed by the printer 200. This prevents printing of anything other than advertisements. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or reduce situations where an advertisement cannot be printed for a long time despite having won a bid in response to a public tender.

[0064] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 sends a non-reception instruction to the printer 200 in S2 as a print lock instruction, which prevents the reception of print data other than the print distribution image sent from the advertising server 100 in S30. According to this embodiment, by making it impossible for the printer 200 to receive print data other than advertisements, it is possible to reliably prevent printing of anything other than advertisements, thereby preventing or reducing situations where advertisements cannot be printed for a long time, and also to prevent delays in the start of advertisement printing caused by the reception of print data other than advertisements.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment in particular, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 identifies in S2 whether the received print data is a printable distribution image sent from the advertising server 100 in S30 or other print data, and sends an image non-formation instruction to the printer 200 to prevent image formation if it is other print data. According to this embodiment, if the print data received by the printer 200 is not printable data other than advertising prints, printing is not performed. This reliably prevents printing of non-advertising prints and prevents or reduces situations where advertisements cannot be printed for extended periods.

[0066] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 sends a print lock instruction to the printer 200 in S2, before sending the bid request in S5. According to this embodiment, it is possible to reliably prevent printing other than advertisements from being performed on the printer 200 even before the bidding process begins. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or reduce situations in which advertisements cannot be printed for a long period of time despite having won a bid in response to the bidding process.

[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 releases the print lock for prints other than the print of the print-delivered image issued by the print lock instruction at a predetermined timing after the print lock start timing in S131. According to this embodiment, by releasing the print lock at a predetermined timing after the print lock start timing, it is possible to perform normal printing other than advertising printing after the advertising printing is completed.

[0068] Furthermore, in this embodiment in particular, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 releases the print lock in S131 after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the completion of the advertisement printing. According to this embodiment, by releasing the print lock after a predetermined period has elapsed since the completion of advertisement printing, it is possible to start normal printing while ensuring that the user has time to view the advertisement.

[0069] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in particular, at S4, it is notified that the printer 200 is in a print-locked state, that is, that printing other than advertisements on the printer 200 is locked. According to this embodiment, the user can know that the printer 200 is in print lock mode, so the user can recognize that they cannot print anything other than advertisements and that advertisements will be printed soon, thereby improving user convenience.

[0070] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the print lock specifically excludes the predetermined processing in the printer 200 from being restricted. According to this embodiment, various processes that do not interfere with advertisement printing can be executed even while the print lock is in effect. For example, scanning, which is a process of reading the original document, sending and receiving fax data, and processes that accept user operations that do not involve printing can be executed even while advertisements are being printed. Therefore, user convenience can be improved.

[0071] <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.

[0072] (1) When printing is locked after the successful bidder has decided on the advertisement but before sending the hold notification. In the above embodiment, a print lock instruction was sent from the ad provider server 100 to the printer 200 before the bid request was sent, but the timing of sending the print lock instruction is not limited to the above. For example, the print lock instruction may be sent from the ad provider server 100 to the printer 200 after the successful bidder for the ad has been decided and before the hold notification is sent.

[0073] Figure 4 is a sequence flow representing the control performed collaboratively by the advertising server 100, advertising management server 500, printer 200, and terminal device 300 in this modified example. In Figure 4, the same reference numerals are used for steps as in Figure 2, and explanations are omitted as appropriate.

[0074] In this modified example, a print lock instruction is sent to the printer 200 after the decision on the winning advertisement in S8 and before the sending of the hold notification in S10. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, a print lock instruction is sent to the printer 200 in S102, after S8. Then, in S103, printing other than advertisement printing on the printer 200 is locked, and in S104, it is notified that printing other than advertisement printing is locked. Also, in S10, after S102, a hold notification is sent to the advertisement management server 500. Except for the execution timing, the processing content of S102, S103, and S104 is the same as the processing content of S2, S3, and S4 in Figures 2 and 3 described above, so their explanation is omitted. The timing after the decision on the winning advertisement in S8 and before the sending of the hold notification in S10 is an example of a predetermined first timing. Furthermore, in this modified example, the process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 in S102 is an example of a restriction instruction transmission process, and the control unit 110 that executes S102 and the control unit 210 that executes S103 are examples of restriction processing units.

[0075] In this modified example, the control unit 110 of the advertising provision server 100 sends a hold notification to the advertising management server 500 in S10. In S102, the control unit 110 sends a print lock instruction to the printer 200 after the decision on the winning advertisement in S8 and before sending the hold notification in S10. According to this modified version, it is possible to prevent printing of anything other than advertisements on the printer 200 from the time after the successful bidder for the advertisement is decided but before the pending notification is sent to the advertisement management server 500. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or reduce situations in which advertisements cannot be printed for a long time despite having successfully bid on them, and to prevent the print lock from lasting a long time if the successful bidder is unsuccessful.

[0076] (2) When printing is locked when acquiring the winning bid advertisement image. In the above embodiment, a print lock instruction was sent from the advertising server 100 to the printer 200 before the bid request was sent, but the timing of sending the print lock instruction is not limited to the above. For example, the print lock instruction may be sent from the advertising server 100 to the printer 200 when the winning bid advertisement image is acquired.

[0077] Figure 5 is a sequence flow representing the control performed collaboratively by the advertising server 100, advertising management server 500, printer 200, and terminal device 300 in this modified example. In Figure 5, the same reference numerals are used for steps as in Figure 2, and explanations are omitted as appropriate.

[0078] In this modified version, a print lock instruction is sent to the printer 200 when the winning advertisement image is acquired in S20. "When the winning advertisement image is acquired" includes the period from when the control unit 110 of the advertisement provision server 100 acquires the winning advertisement image until the next process is executed. Specifically, as shown in Figure 5, after the winning advertisement image is sent from the advertisement management server 500 in S20 and acquired by the advertisement provision server 100, a print lock instruction is sent to the printer 200 in S202 during the period until the next process, S25, is executed. Then, in S203, printing other than advertisement printing on the printer 200 is locked, and in S204, it is notified that printing other than advertisement printing is locked. Note that the execution timing of S20 and S202 may be approximately simultaneous. In the advertisement provision server 100, S25 is executed after S202. Except for the execution timing, the processing content of S202, S203, and S204 is the same as the processing content of S2, S3, and S4 in Figures 2 and 3 described above, respectively, so their explanation is omitted. The acquisition of the winning bid advertisement image in S20 is an example of a predetermined first timing. In this modified example as well, the processing executed by the control unit 110 of the advertisement provision server 100 in S202 is an example of a restriction instruction transmission process, and the control unit 110 that executes S202 and the control unit 210 that executes S203 are examples of restriction processing units.

[0079] In this modified example, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 sends a print lock instruction to the printer 200 in S202 when it acquires the winning advertisement image in S20. According to this modified version, it is possible to prevent the printer 200 from performing any printing other than advertising printing from the moment the advertising server 100 acquires the winning advertisement image. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or reduce situations where advertisements cannot be printed for a long time despite having won a bid in response to the bidding request.

[0080] (3) When printing is locked when distributing print-ready images. In the above embodiment, a print lock instruction was sent from the advertising server 100 to the printer 200 before the bid request was sent, but the timing of sending the print lock instruction is not limited to the above. For example, the print lock instruction may be sent from the advertising server 100 to the printer 200 when the print-ready distribution image is distributed.

[0081] Figure 6 is a sequence flow representing the control performed collaboratively by the advertising server 100, advertising management server 500, printer 200, and terminal device 300 in this modified example. In Figure 6, the same reference numerals are used for steps as in Figure 2, and explanations are omitted as appropriate.

[0082] In this modified example, a print lock instruction is sent to the printer 200 when the print-ready distribution image is distributed in S30. "When the print-ready distribution image is distributed" includes the period from when the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 performs the processing immediately before distributing the print-ready distribution image until the print-ready distribution image is actually distributed. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, after the timing count starts in S27, and before the print-ready distribution image is sent to the printer 200 in S30, a print lock instruction is sent to the printer 200 in S302. Then, in S303, printing other than advertisement printing on the printer 200 is locked, and in S304, it is notified that printing other than advertisement printing is locked. Note that the execution timing of S302 and S30 may be approximately simultaneous. In the advertising server 100, S30 is executed after S302. Except for the execution timing, the processing content of S302, S303, and S304 is the same as the processing content of S2, S3, and S4 in Figures 2 and 3 described above, so their explanation is omitted. The delivery of printable images in S30 is an example of a predetermined first timing. In this modified example, the process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 in S302 is an example of a restriction instruction transmission process, and the control unit 110 that executes S302 and the control unit 210 that executes S303 are examples of restriction processing units.

[0083] In this modified example, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 sends a print lock instruction to the printer 200 in S302 when the printable distribution image is distributed in S30. According to this modified version, it is possible to prevent other types of printing from interrupting the printer 200 from the moment the advertising server 100 sends the advertising image to the printer 200. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or reduce situations in which advertisements cannot be printed for a long time despite having won a bid in response to a public tender.

[0084] (4) Others In the above configuration, 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 the roles are divided—can be freely changed as appropriate. For example, some or all of the processes performed by the advertising server 100 may be performed by the printer 200, or some or all of the processes performed by the advertising server 100 may be performed by the terminal device 300. For example, the terminal device 300 may determine the timing for executing a print lock and send a print lock instruction from the terminal device 300. Alternatively, the printer 200 itself may determine the timing for executing a print lock and execute the print lock.

[0085] Figure 7 shows the sequence flow when printer 200 executes a print lock at a predetermined timing. In Figure 7, S401, S403, and S404 are the same as the processing content of S1, S3, and S4 in Figures 2 and 3, respectively, so their explanation is omitted. In S405, a bid OK notification is sent from printer 200 to the advertising server 100. Subsequently, S5 is executed in the advertising server 100. In other words, S405 is the starting point for the execution of S5. In this modified example, the control unit 210 of the printer 200 that executes S401 and S403 is an example of a limiting processing unit. In this modified example, the control unit 210 of the printer 200 locks printing other than advertisements at the print lock timing before the printer 200 acquires the printable image distributed from the advertisement server 100. According to this modified version, it is possible to prevent the printer 200 from performing normal printing other than advertising printing even before the printer 200 acquires the advertising image. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or reduce situations in which advertisements cannot be printed for a long time despite having won a bid in response to a public tender.

[0086] Additionally, a print lock may be implemented at a predetermined time. This predetermined time could be, for example, a predetermined time before the start of ad printing, and a predetermined time after the completion of ad printing. The predetermined time could be, for example, one minute.

[0087] Furthermore, if the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 executes a print lock on the printer 200, it may put the printer 200 into a print-ready state and then perform a test print. In this case, it is possible to confirm whether the printing function for executing advertisement printing is active while the print lock is in place.

[0088] Furthermore, the print locking method is not limited to the method described in the above embodiment. For example, the print lock may be performed by stopping the transmission of print data from an external terminal device such as terminal device 300 to printer 200.

[0089] Furthermore, the printer's status may be detected at the time of print lock execution. For example, if printing other than advertising is in progress, the advertising print may be executed after the currently ongoing printing is completed, and then printing may be locked for a certain period of time. Alternatively, if the printer 200 is in a standby state, for example, the advertising print may be executed, and then printing may be locked for a certain period of time after the advertising print is completed. In this case, the effectiveness of the advertisement can be reduced because the printed advertisement and other printed materials overlap on the output tray, causing the user to not notice the advertisement or to notice it too late.

[0090] Furthermore, the sequence flows shown in Figures 2 to 7 do not limit the present invention to the procedures shown in the above flows, and additional or deleted procedures or changes in order are permitted without departing from the spirit and technical idea of ​​the invention.

[0091] 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.

[0092] Furthermore, although not to be exemplified individually, the present invention may be implemented with various modifications without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 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) 300 terminal devices 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 the first print data based on the specific distribution information obtained in the specific distribution information acquisition process to the printing device, A restriction instruction transmission process that, at a predetermined first timing, transmits a restriction instruction to the printing device to restrict printing other than the printing of the first print data, A distribution information server configured to perform the following actions.

2. The control unit, The distribution information providing server according to claim 1, wherein in the restriction instruction transmission process, the distribution information providing server transmits a non-reception instruction to the printing device as the restriction instruction, which makes it impossible to receive the second print data other than the first print data transmitted from the distribution information providing server in the distribution process.

3. The control unit, The distribution information providing server according to claim 1, wherein the restriction instruction transmission process identifies whether the received print data is the first print data transmitted from the distribution information providing server in the distribution process or the second print data other than the first print data, and transmits an image non-formation instruction to the printing device if it is the second print data, so as the restriction instruction, the server does not perform image formation.

4. The control unit, The distribution information providing server according to claim 1, wherein in the restriction instruction transmission process, the restriction instruction is transmitted to the printing device as a first timing before the transmission of the bid request in the request transmission process.

5. 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 distribution information providing server according to claim 1, wherein in the restriction instruction transmission process, as a first timing, the restriction instruction is transmitted to the printing device after the determination of the specific distribution information in the information determination process and before the transmission of the distribution determination notification in the notification process.

6. The control unit, The distribution information providing server according to claim 1, wherein the restriction instruction transmission process transmits the restriction instruction to the printing device as the first timing when the specific distribution information is acquired in the specific distribution information acquisition process.

7. The control unit, The distribution information providing server according to claim 1, wherein the restriction instruction transmission process transmits the restriction instruction to the printing device as the first timing when the first print data is distributed in the distribution process.

8. The control unit further, At a predetermined second timing after the first timing, a restriction release instruction transmission process is performed to release the restriction on printing other than the printing of the first print data, which is imposed by the restriction instruction. A distribution information provider server according to claim 1, configured to perform the following:

9. The control unit, The distribution information providing server according to claim 8, wherein in the restriction release instruction transmission process, the restriction is released as a second timing, after a predetermined period of time from the first timing or when printing with the first print data is completed.

10. It is 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 that prints a specific image based on the specific distribution information acquired by the specific distribution information acquisition unit, A restriction processing unit that, at a predetermined timing, restricts printing other than the printing of the specific image in the printing unit, An information distribution and printing system having the following features.

11. The aforementioned limiting processing unit, The information distribution printing system according to claim 10, wherein a restriction instruction is transmitted to the printing unit to restrict printing other than the printing of the specific image.

12. The aforementioned limiting processing unit, The information distribution and printing system according to claim 10, wherein, as the predetermined timing, when the printing unit acquires the specific image distributed to the printing unit, printing other than the printing of the specific image is restricted.

13. The aforementioned limiting processing unit, The information distribution and printing system according to claim 10, wherein, as the predetermined timing, printing other than printing the specific image is restricted before the request transmission unit transmits the bid request.

14. A restriction notification unit transmits a restriction notification informing that the printing unit is restricted from printing the specific image, based on the restriction processing unit. The information distribution and printing system according to claim 10, further comprising the above.

15. The aforementioned limiting processing unit, The information distribution printing system according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined processing in the printing section is excluded from the restrictions.

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