Information distribution and printing system and information distribution server

Abstract

We provide an information distribution printing system and information distribution server that ensures a satisfactory appearance even if printing is not perfectly accurate, and that optimizes billing. [Solution] The information distribution and printing system includes an advertising provider server 100 that receives and distributes advertising images managed by an advertising management server 500. In S5, it sends a bidding request for an advertising image to the advertising management server 500. In S8, it determines which advertising image will be awarded the bid from the advertising images received from the advertising management server 500 in response to the bidding request sent in S5. In S30, it retrieves the advertising image determined in S8 from the advertising management server 500. In S35, it prints an image based on the advertising image retrieved in S30. In S36, it notifies the advertising management server of a request for payment corresponding to the printing of the advertising image. After the completion of the notification, if it receives an instruction to reprint, it reprints the advertising image in S35.

Description

Technical Field

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

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. Techniques are 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, when attempting to print an advertisement that has been successfully bid according to the bid amount, even if the printing is completed by the printing device, there may be cases where it cannot be accurately printed and the appearance finish is not sufficient. In this case, there is a risk that the effect of the advertisement is reduced, and there is a problem that it may not be appropriate to charge as it is.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an information distribution printing system and a distribution information providing server that can ensure a sufficient appearance finish even when printing cannot be accurately performed and can optimize charging.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an information distribution printing system comprising a printing device and a distribution information provision server that receives distribution information managed by a distribution information management server and distributes it to the printing device, the system comprising: a request transmission unit that transmits a request for bidding on distribution information to the distribution information management server; an information determination unit 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 by the request transmission unit; a specific distribution information acquisition unit that acquires the specific distribution information determined by the information determination unit from the distribution information management server; a print execution unit that prints a printable distribution image based on the specific distribution information; a request notification unit that notifies the distribution information management server of a request for remuneration corresponding to the printing of the specific distribution information; an execution reception unit that receives an execution instruction to reprint the printable distribution image after the completion of the notification by the request notification unit; and a reprint execution unit that reprints the printable distribution image when the execution reception unit receives the execution instruction.

[0007] In the information distribution and printing system of the present invention, a request transmission unit sends a bidding request to the distribution information management server, soliciting bids. In response to the bidding request, the information determination unit determines which specific distribution information will be awarded the bid from among the distribution information received from the distribution information management server. The specific distribution information acquisition unit acquires the specific distribution information from the distribution information management server, and the print execution unit prints a printable distribution image based on the acquired specific distribution information. The billing notification unit notifies the distribution information management server of a billing request for payment corresponding to the printing of the specific distribution information. In the present invention, if, for any reason, accurate printing is not performed during the printing process and the print-ready distributed image does not have a satisfactory appearance, the user can, for example, manually instruct the system to reprint the print-ready distributed image after the notification from the request notification unit has been completed. This instruction is received by the execution reception unit, and the reprint execution unit reprints the print-ready distributed image. According to the present invention, even if the printable image is not accurately printed during the initial printing, a satisfactory appearance can be ensured by performing a reprint, thereby enabling proper billing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, even if printing is not done accurately, a satisfactory appearance can be ensured, and billing can be made more appropriate. [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 one embodiment of the present invention. [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 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a reprint confirmation screen on the display unit of a terminal device. [Figure 5] This sequence flow illustrates an example of a processing flow executed collaboratively by an advertising server, an advertising management server, a terminal device, and a printer in a modified case where print data including advertising images is stored on a server. [Figure 6] This sequence flow illustrates an example of a processing flow executed collaboratively by an advertising server, an advertising management server, a terminal device, and a printer in a modified case where print data including advertising images is stored on a server. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a modified version in which reprinting is performed based on history information, where the reprint confirmation screen on the terminal device or printer display unit is shown as a print history list. [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 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 supply 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, and 500, printer 200, and terminal device 300 are each equipped with a communication unit and can communicate with each other via network NT. Network NT includes at least one of the following: the Internet, LAN (Local Area Network), or WAN (Wide Area Network). The communication unit may be configured to include multiple types of communication circuits for connecting to network NT. In this case, devices connected to 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 includes a display unit 310 (see FIG. 4 described later), a control unit, an operation unit, a storage unit, a communication unit, etc. not shown in the figure. Various programs are stored in the storage unit. The control unit executes various programs stored in the storage unit. The various programs include a program that executes the processes shown in the flows of FIGS. 2, FIG. 3, etc. 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 or the advertising server 100. The user management server 400 includes a control unit, a storage unit, a communication unit, etc. not shown in the figure.

[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 an advertising image from the advertising management server 500 at a predetermined timing. The advertising server 100 distributes the acquired advertising image to the printer 200 to cause printing. The advertising server 100 is an example of a distribution information providing server, and the advertising image is an example of distribution information.

[0015] Specifically, the advertising server 100 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 115, a communication unit 140, etc. The control unit 110, the storage unit 115, and the communication unit 140, etc. are connected via a bus 105 so that information can be transmitted and received. The storage unit 115 is composed of, for example, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, HDD, etc. Various programs 120 and various data 130 are stored in the storage unit 115. The various programs 120 include an information distribution printing program that executes the control content of the advertising server 100 shown by the flows of FIGS. 2, FIG. 3, etc. described later, and the various data 130 include the printer ID of the printer 200, the user ID, the advertising image, etc. The storage unit 115 is an example of a data storage unit.

[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, 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, 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.

[0017] <Advertisement 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, a storage unit, a communication unit, etc. not shown in the figure. 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 in the figure 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 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 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] 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."

[0019] <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.

[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 acquired 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. The storage unit 215 is an example of a data storage unit.

[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, for example, an inkjet method or a laser method. The following explanation will use the inkjet method as an example.

[0022] The cartridge holder 280 is configured to accommodate a 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 if there is a successful bid that meets the conditions, the winning advertisement image is distributed to the printer 200 and the advertisement is printed. At that time, even if the printer 200 completes printing, it may not print accurately and the appearance may not be satisfactory. The feature of this embodiment is to ensure a satisfactory appearance even if the printing is not accurate and to ensure fair billing, thereby avoiding disadvantage to the successful bidder. 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 S5, the advertising server 100 determines the minimum bid price for soliciting bids for advertising images. This minimum bid price is, for example, uniquely predetermined and 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 this minimum bid price is sent to the advertising management server 500. The control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 that executes S5 is an example of a request transmission unit.

[0026] 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.

[0027] In S7, the bidding results from the auction conducted in response to the bidding request sent in S5 are sent from the ad management server 500. The sent content includes the URL of the ad image submitted by the bidder if there was a bid that met the specified conditions requested in the bidding request. If there were no bids that met the specified conditions requested in the bidding request, that fact is included in the received content.

[0028] In S8, the ad delivery server 100 determines whether there are any bids that meet the winning conditions based on the content of the bid results sent in S7, 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, the conditions for winning may include meeting predetermined conditions requested in the bid request. The determined advertisement is an example of specific distribution information, and the control unit 110 of the ad delivery server 100 that executes S8 is an example of an information determination unit.

[0029] 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 have been accepted and will be stored without being deleted. The advertising management server 500 then forwards this hold notification to the successful bidders' terminal devices and servers connected to the advertising management server 500 via Network NT. If there are multiple bids that meet the bidding conditions, multiple hold notifications may be sent.

[0030] 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 receives this defeat notification and sends it to the terminal devices and servers of the non-winning bidders connected to the advertising management server 500 via Network NT. If there are multiple bids that do not meet the bidding conditions, multiple defeat notifications may be sent.

[0031] In S17, using the URL of the advertisement image obtained in S7, an advertisement image request is sent from the advertisement provider server 100 to the advertisement management server 500 requesting the advertisement image of the successful bidder for whom a hold notification was sent in S10. If there are multiple successful bidders, multiple advertisement images may be requested. In response to the above advertisement image request, in S20 the advertisement image from the advertisement management server 500 is sent by the successful bidder and received and acquired by the advertisement provider server 100. The acquired advertisement image is stored, for example, in the storage unit 115. The control unit 110 of the advertisement provider server 100 that executes S20 is an example of a specific distribution information acquisition unit.

[0032] In S30, a distribution image is created that contains the winning bidder's advertisement image, that is, an information containing the advertisement image received from the advertisement management server 500 in S20. Alternatively, instead of the advertisement provider server 100 creating the distribution image, the advertisement management server 500 may create the distribution image, and the advertisement provider server 100 may acquire that distribution image. Alternatively, instead of creating the distribution image in S30, print data for printing the distribution image may be created in various page description languages. Then, a print instruction containing the created distribution image is distributed to the printer 200. The data such as the distribution image included in the print instruction transmitted in S30 is an example of print data corresponding to specific distribution information, and the control unit 110 of the advertisement provider server 100 that executes S30 is an example of a print execution instruction unit.

[0033] In S32, the printer 200 receives a print instruction based on the distribution image including the advertisement image that was transmitted in S30, and the distribution image is stored in the storage unit 215. Subsequently, in S35, printing of the distribution image included in the print instruction is started. This distribution image is an example of a printable distribution image based on specific distribution information, and the control unit 210 of the printer 200 that executes S35 is an example of a print execution unit. In S30, the advertising server 100 may distribute the images to the printer 200 via other relay devices. Alternatively, instead of distributing the images to the printer 200, the server may send a page description language for printing the images or a link to the images to the printer 200. If a link to the images is sent, the printer 200 accesses the link to retrieve the images and performs printing.

[0034] After S30, in S36, the ad provider server 100 sends a billing notification to the ad management server 500 to request payment for the advertising print from the advertiser who was the successful bidder and provided the advertising images included in the distributed images sent in S30. The control unit 110 of the ad provider server 100 that executes S36 is an example of a billing notification unit. One example of the timing for sending the billing notification in S36 is when the print execution in S35 is completed.

[0035] In S37, the advertising management server 500, upon receiving the transmitted billing notice, sends the billing notice to the successful bidder's terminal device, and the successful bidder is billed.

[0036] Moving to Figure 3, in S45, it is determined whether the printer 200 has finished printing the distribution image, including the advertisement image, which was started in S35. If printing is not complete, it is determined as No, and the process returns to S45. If printing is complete, it is determined as Yes, and in S81, a print completion notification is sent from the printer 200 and received by the terminal device 300.

[0037] In terminal device 300, based on the print completion notification sent in S81, in S85, a reprint confirmation screen is displayed on the display unit 310 to ask the user whether or not to reprint the distributed image. Note that the process in S85 may be executed when the user instructs terminal device 300 to display the reprint confirmation screen.

[0038] Figure 4 shows an example of a reprint confirmation screen on the display unit 310. The example shown in Figure 4 is an example of a reprint confirmation screen when the user is asked to confirm reprinting, and the message M1 "The advertisement was printed on XXXX / XX / XX (date) XX:XX (time). Do you want to reprint this advertisement?", along with a "Yes" button 311 and a "No" button 312 are displayed on the display unit 310. These "Yes" button 311 and "No" button 312 function as the aforementioned operation unit.

[0039] When the "Yes" button 311 is pressed, S86 in Figure 3 becomes a "Yes" result, and in S88, a reprint instruction is sent from the terminal device 300 and received by the printer 200 (see Figure 2). The "Yes" button 311 is an example of an execution acceptance unit. As a result, in S35, as described above using Figure 2, the printer 200 starts reprinting the distributed image that was retained without being erased as described above. In other words, reprinting is started. The control unit 210 of the printer 200 that executes S35 is an example of a reprint execution unit. After the reprint is executed in S35, the processing from S45 onwards is carried out as described above.

[0040] When the "No" button 312 is pressed, S86 in Figure 3 becomes a "No" result, and in S84, a "No reprinting required" instruction is sent from the terminal device 300 and received by the printer 200. The "No" button 312 is an example of a non-execution acceptance unit. Upon receiving the "No reprinting required" instruction, the printer 200 deletes the advertisement image stored in the storage unit 215 in S32 in S89. Then, the processing of the flow in Figure 3 in the printer 200 is completed.

[0041] <Effects of the Embodiment> As described above, in this embodiment, in the information distribution printing system 1 of this embodiment, a bid request is sent to the advertising management server 500 in S5, soliciting bids. In S8, the winning bidder is determined from among the advertising images received from the advertising management server 500 in response to the bid request. In S30, the advertising image is acquired from the advertising management server 500, and in S35, printing of the acquired advertising image is performed. The advertising provider server 100 then sends a request to the advertising management server 500 for payment of the reward corresponding to the printing of the advertising image to the winning bidder who provided the advertising image. After the payment request notification is completed, if the terminal device 300 receives an execution instruction to reprint the advertisement image, the reprinting of the advertisement image is performed in S35. According to this embodiment, even if the print-ready image is not printed accurately during the initial printing in S35, a satisfactory appearance can be ensured by returning to S35 and performing a reprint, thereby optimizing billing.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the printer 200 has a storage unit 215 that stores print data including the distributed image, and when it receives an execution instruction from the terminal device 300 to reprint the advertisement image, in S35, it reprints the distributed image using the print data stored in the storage unit 215 (see S32). This ensures that when reprinting in S35, the print data stored in the storage unit 215 is used to print the same content as the initial print. In particular, the reprint configuration can be simplified by storing the print data in the storage unit 215 of the printer 200.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a "No" button 312 is provided to accept a non-execution instruction that the distributed image should not be reprinted after the completion of printing in S35. If a non-execution instruction is received via the "No" button 312, the print data stored in the storage unit 215 is erased in S89. This allows for saving storage capacity for the storage unit 215 by deleting print data that is no longer likely to be reprinted.

[0044] 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.

[0045] (1) When saving delivery images (print data) including advertising images to the server In the above embodiment, when reprinting, printing was performed using the distribution image stored in the printer 200 in S32, but this is not limited to this. That is, when reprinting, the distribution image including the advertisement image stored in the storage unit 115 of the advertisement provision server 100 may be retrieved again and printed. The storage unit 115 of the advertisement provision server 100 is an example of a data storage unit in this modified example. In this modified example, the sequence flow representing the processing flow executed by the cooperation of the advertisement provision server 100, the advertisement management server 500, the terminal device 300, and the printer 200 is shown in Figures 5 and 6, which correspond to Figures 2 and 3, respectively.

[0046] In Figure 5, S30' is provided in place of S30 in Figure 2, and S32' is provided in place of S32. After S17, in S30', the advertising server 100 distributes a print instruction to the printer 200 that includes, in addition to the distribution image created by arranging the advertising images received from the advertising management server 500, similar to S30, the distribution image, and further includes identification information for the distribution image. The data such as the distribution image included in the print instruction transmitted in S30' is an example of print data corresponding to specific distribution information in this modified example, and the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 that executes S30' is an example of a print execution instruction unit in this modified example. The identification information is stored, for example, in the storage unit 115 of the advertising server 100. In this case, the storage unit 115 is an example of an information storage unit.

[0047] In S32', the identification information of the distributed image received in S30' is stored in the storage unit 215. In this case, the storage unit 215 is also an example of an information storage unit. Subsequently, S35, similar to that in Figure 2, is executed in the printer 200. Note that the distributed image is not retained in the printer 200 after printing.

[0048] In Figure 6, S89 in Figure 3 is omitted, and S95 and S96 are added after S81. After S35, based on the print completion notification sent in S81 via S45 in Figure 6, the terminal device 300, via S85, determines S86 as Yes by operating the "Yes" button 311 in Figure 4, as described above, and sends a reprint instruction in S88, similar to Figure 3.

[0049] In Figure 5, printer 200 has S29 before S32', which corresponds to S32 in Figure 2, and S31' is also provided. When the reprint instruction in S88 is sent, S29 in Figure 5 is determined to be Yes, and in S31', printer 200 sends a request to reacquire the distribution image including the advertisement image, along with the identification information of the distribution image already stored in S32', which is received by the advertisement server 100.

[0050] In the advertising server 100, after receiving the reacquisition request and the identification information of the delivered image in S31', the delivered image corresponding to the identification information of the acquired delivered image is sent again to the printer 200 in S30'. The printer 200 then performs reprinting of the advertisement in S35, via S32', using the delivered image acquired in S30'. The control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 that executes S30' is an example of a print data retransmission unit.

[0051] In Figure 6, S89′ is provided in place of S89 in Figure 3. In Figure 6, after printing is completed on printer 200, if the "No" button 311 is pressed on terminal device 300 and S86 is determined to be No, then in S84, an instruction to not reprint is sent from terminal device 300 and received by printer 200. Upon receiving the instruction to not reprint, printer 200 deletes the identification information stored in storage unit 215 in S32' in S89'.

[0052] In S95, the printer 200 sends a request to delete the distributed image, along with the identification information obtained in S32', and is received by the advertising server 100. In the ad delivery server 100, in S96, based on the image deletion request and identification information sent from the printer 200 in S95, the server deletes the delivered image corresponding to the identification information. Furthermore, the processes S95 and S96 described above may be executed at any time, not limited to the example in Figure 6, after the distributed image and identification information have been deleted in the printer 200's S89' process.

[0053] The processing procedures in this modified example, other than those described above, are the same as those in Figures 2 and 3, and therefore their explanation is omitted.

[0054] In this modified example, as in the above embodiment, even if the print-ready image is not printed accurately during the initial printing, a satisfactory appearance can be ensured by subsequent reprints, thereby enabling proper billing.

[0055] In this modified version, the advertising server 100 transmits print data corresponding to the advertising image and identification information of the distributed image to the printer 200 in S30'. The printer 200 receives the print data and the above identification information transmitted from the advertising server 100 and stores it in S32'. Based on the stored print data, the printer 200 prints the advertising image in S35. When the terminal device 300 receives an execution instruction to reprint the advertising image, the printer executes the reprint of the print data identified using the above identification information. Since the print data to be reprinted is identified using the identification information of the print data and the reprint is executed, a distribution printing system capable of reprinting multiple print data can be realized.

[0056] Furthermore, in this modified version, the advertising image is stored in the storage unit 115 of the advertising server 100, and the printer 200 performs printing and reprinting using the print data stored in the storage unit 115 of the advertising server 100. By not storing the print data of the advertising image in the printer 200, but rather storing it on the advertising server 100 side and having the printer 200 retrieve it, reprinting can be made possible without increasing the storage capacity of the printer 200.

[0057] (2) When reprinting based on history information In other words, the user may be able to select the advertisement image to be reprinted from multiple advertisement images stored in the storage unit 215 of the printer 200, or from multiple advertisement images stored in the storage unit 115 of the advertisement provision server 100.

[0058] Figure 7 shows an example of a reprint confirmation screen based on history information on the display unit 240 of the printer 200 or the display unit 310 of the terminal device 300, specifically the "Advertisement Print History / Reprint" screen. This "Advertisement Print History / Reprint" screen is displayed, for example, when the terminal device 300 sends a history request to a device that stores the advertisement print history (printer 200 or advertisement server 100) and receives history information as a response. In the example shown in Figure 7(a), the history list M21, the print date and time M22, and the "Reprint" button 313 are displayed on the display unit 240 of the printer 200 or the display unit 310 of the terminal device 300. History List M21 is a list of the print history of advertising images stored in the storage unit 215 of the printer 200, or in the storage unit 115 of the advertising server 100. History List M21 is an example of an information display unit. Print Date and Time M22 indicates the date and time when the printing of each advertising image in History List M21 was completed. A "Reprint" button 313 is provided in association with each advertising image.

[0059] In the example shown in Figure 7(b), the history list M31, the print date and time M32, the "Reprint" button 313, and the "No Reprint Needed" button 314 are displayed on the display unit 240 of the printer 200 or the display unit 310 of the terminal device 300. The display areas for the history list M31 and the print date and time M32 are an example of an information display unit.

[0060] The history list M31 is a list of the print history of advertising images stored in the storage unit 215 of the printer 200, or in the storage unit 115 of the advertising server 100. The history list M31 is an example of the information display unit. The print date and time M32 indicates the date and time when the printing of each advertising image in the history list M31 was completed. The "Reprint" button 313 and the "No Reprint Needed" button 314 are provided in association with each advertising image, respectively.

[0061] Furthermore, if the print history of multiple advertising images stored in the storage unit 215 of the printer 200 is displayed on the screens shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b) on the display unit 240, the "Reprint" button 313, "No Reprint Needed" button 314, etc. on the display unit 240 will be operated. Furthermore, if the print history of multiple advertising images stored in the storage unit 115 of the advertising server 100 is displayed on the screens shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b) on the display unit 310 of the terminal device 300, the "Reprint" button 313, "No Reprinting Required" button 314, etc. on the display unit 310 are operated.

[0062] When the "Reprint" button 313 in Figure 7(a) or Figure 7(b) is operated, the printer 200 receives the corresponding reprint instruction (see Figures 2 and 5). The "Reprint" button 313 is an example of an execution acceptance unit. In this case, as described above using Figures 2 and 5, in S35, the printer 200 retrieves the advertisement image from the history list M21 (in the case of Figure 7(a)) or history list M31 (in the case of Figure 7(b)) that corresponds to the display position of the operated "Reprint" button 313 from the storage unit 215 or storage unit 115 and performs a reprint.

[0063] Furthermore, in Figure 7(b), when the "No Reprint Required" button 314 is operated, the printer receives the corresponding "No Reprint Required" instruction (see Figures 3 and 6). The "No Reprint Required" button 314 is an example of a non-execution receiving unit in this modified example. In this case, from among the advertising images stored in the storage unit 215 of the printer 200 or the storage unit 115 of the advertising provision server 100, the advertising image in the history list M31 displayed corresponding to the position of the operated "No Reprint Required" button 314 is selected and deleted.

[0064] Furthermore, the user may be able to initiate a reprint using print history information, as shown in Figure 7(a) or Figure 7(b), at any time. In other words, the user may be able to initiate a reprint at any time after the initial printing of the advertisement image is complete. Furthermore, in addition to the timing when the "No" button 312 in Figure 4 is operated or the timing when the "No reprinting required" button 314 in Figure 7(b) is operated, the deletion of advertising images stored in the storage unit 215 or storage unit 115 may also be performed in other ways, such as deleting the oldest printed images first when the number of advertising images stored in the storage unit 215 or storage unit 115 exceeds a predetermined number, deleting the oldest printed image when a new advertising image is stored, or deleting images sequentially starting from those that have been in storage for more than the retention period since their initial print date.

[0065] In this modified version, as described above, multiple print data stored in the memory unit 215 and memory unit 115 are displayed in history, and the system accepts the execution of a reprint based on this history display. For example, by displaying the history of multiple advertisement images that have been printed in the past, the user can select the one they want to reprint from among the multiple print history entries and issue an execution command. This allows the user to specify a desired print from among prints that have been executed multiple times in the past and execute a reprint.

[0066] Furthermore, in this modified example, multiple print data stored in the memory unit 215 and memory unit 115 are displayed in history, and instructions to indicate that reprinting is unnecessary based on this history display are accepted. As described above, for example, by displaying a history of multiple advertisement images that have been printed in the past, users can select which ones they do not want to reprint and issue a command to cancel the print. This allows for saving storage space by deleting print data that has been printed multiple times in the past but is no longer likely to be reprinted.

[0067] In the above description, the advertising server 100 has been described as a single device, but it may also function as an advertising server 100 through the coordinated operation of multiple devices. Furthermore, in the above description, the reprint confirmation screen that accepts reprints may be displayed on a device other than the terminal device 300. For example, the printer 200 may display the screen and accept reprints.

[0068] Furthermore, the sequence flows shown in Figures 2, 3, 5, and 6 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.

[0069] 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.

[0070] Furthermore, although not to be exemplified individually, the present invention may be implemented with various modifications without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0071] 1. Information distribution and printing system 100 Ad delivery servers (an example of a delivery information delivery server) 110 Control Unit 115. Memory Unit (Example of a data storage unit or information storage unit) 200 Printers (an example of a printing device) 210 Control Unit 215 Memory Unit (Example of a data storage unit or information storage unit) 311 "Yes" button (an example of an execution acceptance button) 312 "No" button (an example of a non-execution request section) 313 "Reprint" button (an example of the execution acceptance section) 314 "No reprinting required" button (an example of a non-execution acceptance section) 500 Ad management server (an example of a delivery information management server) M21 History List (Example of Information Display Section) M31 History List (Example of Information Display Section)

Claims

1. An information distribution printing system comprising a printing device and a distribution information provision server that receives distribution information managed by a distribution information management server and distributes it to the printing device, A request transmission unit that sends a request for bidding on distribution information to the distribution information management server, An information determination unit determines the specific distribution information that will be awarded the bid from the distribution information management server received in response to the bid request transmitted by the request transmission unit, A specific distribution information acquisition unit acquires the specific distribution information determined by the information determination unit from the distribution information management server, A print execution unit that prints a printable distribution image based on the specified distribution information, A billing notification unit that notifies the distribution information management server of a request for payment corresponding to the printing of the specified distribution information, After the notification by the aforementioned request notification unit is completed, the execution reception unit receives an execution instruction to reprint the printable distribution image, When the execution instruction is received by the execution reception unit, the reprint execution unit performs a reprint of the printable distribution image, An information distribution and printing system having the following features.

2. The system further includes a data storage unit that stores print data corresponding to the specific distribution information acquired by the specific distribution information acquisition unit, or a printable distribution image based on the specific distribution information, The aforementioned reprinting execution unit, When the execution instruction is received by the execution reception unit, the print data stored in the data storage unit is used to reprint the print distribution image. The information distribution and printing system according to claim 1, configured as described above.

3. The system further includes an information display unit that displays the print data stored in the data storage unit, The execution reception unit said above, The system receives the execution instruction based on the display on the information display unit. The information distribution and printing system according to claim 2, configured as described above.

4. The system further includes a non-execution receiving unit that receives a non-execution instruction indicating that the print distribution image will not be reprinted after the printing execution unit has completed the printing, When the non-execution instruction is received by the non-execution receiving unit, the print data stored in the data storage unit is deleted. The information distribution and printing system according to claim 2, configured as described above.

5. The system further includes an information display unit that displays the print data stored in the data storage unit, The aforementioned non-execution receiving unit is: The system accepts the non-execution instruction based on the display on the information display unit. The information distribution and printing system according to claim 4, configured as described above.

6. The aforementioned printing apparatus, The information distribution printing system according to claim 2, comprising the print execution unit, the reprint execution unit, the data storage unit, and the execution reception unit.

7. The aforementioned distribution information providing server includes the aforementioned data storage unit, The aforementioned printing apparatus, The information distribution printing system according to claim 2, comprising the printing execution unit and the reprinting execution unit.

8. The distribution information providing server further comprises an information storage unit that stores identification information of the print data stored in the data storage unit of the aforementioned distribution information providing server, The execution receiving unit receives an execution instruction to reprint the print data identified using the identification information. The information distribution and printing system according to claim 2, configured as described above.

9. A printing device and a distribution information management server, and a distribution information provider server that can communicate with these devices, A request transmission unit that sends a request for bidding on distribution information to the distribution information management server, An information determination unit determines the specific distribution information that will be awarded the bid from the distribution information management server received in response to the bid request transmitted by the request transmission unit, A specific distribution information acquisition unit acquires the specific distribution information determined by the information determination unit from the distribution information management server, A data storage unit that stores print data corresponding to the specific distribution information acquired by the specific distribution information acquisition unit, or a printable distribution image based on the specific distribution information, A print execution instruction unit that instructs the printing device to print the print data based on the specified distribution information, A billing notification unit that notifies the distribution information management server of a request for payment corresponding to the printing of the specified distribution information, After the notification by the aforementioned request notification unit has completed, if an execution instruction to perform reprinting is received, the print data retransmission unit transmits the print data stored in the data storage unit to the printing device. A distribution information provider server having the following features.

Images