Printing systems, servers, printing methods, and computer programs

Abstract

Print multiple images on a single document using different print settings. [Solution] The printing system obtains N candidate information for N candidate images from an external device, uses the N candidate information to determine M target images to be printed from among the N candidate images, and generates a print image containing the M target images. The M target images include a first image and a second image to be printed using a first print setting, and a third image to be printed using a second print setting. The M target images are arranged in the print image such that at least a portion of the sub-scanning direction range where the first image is located and the sub-scanning direction range where the second image is located overlap, and the sub-scanning direction range where the third image is located does not overlap with the sub-scanning direction range where the first and second images are located. Of the print image, the first and second images are printed using the first print setting, and of the print image, the third image is printed using the second print setting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present specification relates to a printing system, a server, a printing method, and a computer program.

Background Art

[0002] In the system described in Patent Document 1, a server combines main print data and advertisement data to generate combined print data, and transmits the combined print data to an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus performs printing using the combined print data, and notifies the server of the number of printed sheets. The server calculates and manages cost reduction points according to the number of printed sheets. When the cost reduction points reach a predetermined number of points, a marking agent is sent to a user of the image forming apparatus.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above technology, it cannot be said that sufficient consideration has been given to print settings for each divided image.

[0005] The present specification discloses a technique capable of printing a plurality of images on one print medium using a plurality of mutually different print settings.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] The technique disclosed in the present specification can be implemented as the following application examples.

[0007] [Application Example 1] A printing system comprising a printing device and a server connected to the printing device, wherein the printing device comprises a print head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink, the nozzles being positioned differently in the sub-scanning direction, a main scanning unit that performs a main scan by moving the print head along a main scanning direction intersecting the sub-scanning direction with respect to a workpiece, and a sub-scanning unit that performs a sub-scan by moving the workpiece along the sub-scanning direction with respect to the print head, and the server comprises an information acquisition unit that acquires N candidate information for N candidate images (N is an integer of 4 or more) from an external device, an image determination unit that determines M target images to be printed (M is an integer satisfying N>M≧3) from the N candidate images using the N candidate information, and an image acquisition unit that acquires the determined M target images, wherein the M target images include a first image and a second image to be printed using a first print setting, and a third image to be printed using a second print setting different from the first print setting, and the M An image generation unit that generates a print image containing M target images, wherein the M target images are arranged in the print image such that at least a portion of the range in the sub-scanning direction where the first image to be printed using the first print setting is located and the range in the sub-scanning direction where the second image to be printed using the first print setting is located overlap, and the range in the sub-scanning direction where the third image to be printed using the second print setting is located does not overlap, and the printing apparatus further comprises a control unit that prints the print image on a single substrate by performing partial printing, which involves ejecting ink from the print head while performing the main scan, and the sub-scanning multiple times, wherein the control unit prints the first image and the second image of the print image using the first print setting, and prints the third image of the print image using the second print setting.

[0008] In a printing device that prints an image by performing partial printing, in which ink is ejected from the print head while a main scan is performed, and sub-scanning multiple times, it can be difficult to change the print settings in the middle of the main scan. With the above configuration, at least a portion of the range in the sub-scanning direction in which the first image is located and the range in the sub-scanning direction in which the second image is located overlap, while the range in the sub-scanning direction in which the third image is located does not overlap with the range in the sub-scanning direction in which the first and second images are located. As a result, multiple images can be printed on a single substrate using multiple different print settings. For example, the first and second images can be printed with the first print setting and the third image can be printed with the second print setting without changing the print settings in the middle of the main scan.

[0009] Furthermore, the technologies disclosed herein can be implemented in various forms, for example, a server connected to a printing device, a printing method, a computer program for realizing the functions of this server, method, and system, a recording medium on which the computer program is stored, and so on. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing the configuration of System 1000. [Figure 2] Diagram illustrating the printing mechanism. [Figure 3] Diagram illustrating the databases for printers and servers. [Figure 4] A first sequence diagram showing the operation of the advertisement printing process in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] A second sequence diagram showing the operation of the advertisement printing process in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] An explanatory diagram of the arrangement pattern of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] A diagram showing an example of N advertisement images and printed images in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] Flowchart of the successful bid process in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] Flowchart of the print image generation process in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] A diagram showing an example of N advertisement images and print images according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] A flowchart of the successful bid processing according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] A flowchart of the print image generation processing according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] An explanatory diagram of conveyance of paper P and the print image according to the third embodiment. [Figure 14] A flowchart of the successful bid processing according to the third embodiment. [Figure 15] A flowchart of the print image generation processing according to the third embodiment. [Figure 16] A diagram showing an example of N advertisement images and the print image according to a modification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A. First Embodiment A-1. Configuration of System 1000 Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the system 1000. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a printing mechanism. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of databases of a printer and a server. In Fig. 3, among the information stored in various databases described later, some pieces of information related to the embodiment are extracted and illustrated.

[0012] The system 1000 includes a management server 100, a remote print server 200, an advertisement distribution server 300, bid servers 400A to 400C, and a printer 500. All of these devices 100, 200, 300, 400A to 400C, and 500 are connected to the Internet IT, and can communicate via the Internet IT.

[0013] The printer 500 is a device that performs printing by consuming ink as a consumable, and is used by a user to use a subscribed service (for example, an advertisement distribution service). As a controller of the printer 500, the printer 500 includes a CPU 510, a volatile storage device 520 such as DRAM, and a non-volatile storage device 530 such as a hard disk or a flash memory. The printer 500 also includes a display unit 540 such as a liquid crystal display for displaying images, an operation unit 550 such as buttons or a touch panel for acquiring user operations, a communication interface (IF) 580, and a printing mechanism 600.

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

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

[0016] In the present embodiment, the computer program PGp is provided by being pre-stored in the non-volatile storage device 530 when the printer 500 is manufactured. Alternatively, the computer program PGp may be provided, for example, in a form downloaded from a server connected via the Internet IT, or in a form recorded on a USB memory, a DVD-ROM, or the like.

[0017] The CPU 510 executes various processes to control the printer 500 by running the computer program PGp. For example, the CPU 510 controls the printing mechanism 600 and performs the printing process to print an image to the printing mechanism 600. The CPU 510 also communicates with the management server 100 and the remote printing server 200 to perform processes related to the advertising printing process described later.

[0018] As shown in Figure 2(A), the printing mechanism 600 is an inkjet printing mechanism that uses cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) inks (droplets) as colorants for printing. As shown in Figure 2(A), the printing mechanism 600 comprises a print head 610, a head drive unit 620, a main scanning unit 630, and a transport unit 640.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2(B), the main scanning unit 630 includes a carriage 633 on which the print head 610 is mounted, and a sliding shaft 634 that holds the carriage 633 so that it can reciprocate along the main scanning direction (the X-axis direction in Figure 2). The main scanning unit 630 uses the power of a motor (not shown) to reciprocate the carriage 633 along the sliding shaft 634. This enables main scanning, in which the print head 610 reciprocates along the main scanning direction relative to the paper P, which is the material to be printed.

[0020] The transport unit 640 holds the paper P and transports the paper P in the transport direction SD (the +Y direction in Figure 2, also called the sub-scanning direction) which intersects the direction of head movement. This enables sub-scanning, which moves the paper P along the sub-scanning direction (transport direction SD) relative to the print head 610. As shown in Figure 2(B), the transport unit 640 includes a paper tray 645, an upstream roller pair 642, and a downstream roller pair 641. Hereafter, the upstream side (-Y side) of the transport direction SD will be simply referred to as the upstream side, and the downstream side (+Y side) of the transport direction SD will be simply referred to as the downstream side.

[0021] The upstream roller pair 642 holds the paper P upstream (-Y side) of the print head 610, and the downstream roller pair 641 holds the paper P downstream (+Y side) of the print head 610. The paper tray 645 is positioned between the upstream roller pair 642 and the downstream roller pair 641, and facing the nozzle forming surface 611 of the print head 610. The paper P is transported by driving the downstream roller pair 641 and the upstream roller pair 642 with a transport motor (not shown).

[0022] The head drive unit 620 (Figure 1) drives the print head 610 by supplying a drive signal to the print head 610 while the main scanning unit 630 is moving the print head 610. The print head 610 ejects ink onto the paper being transported by the transport unit 640 according to the drive signal, forming dots.

[0023] Figure 2(C) illustrates the configuration of the print head 610 as seen from the -Z side (the lower side in Figure 2). As shown in Figure 2(C), the nozzle forming surface 611 of the print head 610 has multiple nozzle rows consisting of multiple nozzles, namely nozzle rows NC, NM, NY, and NK that eject the C, M, Y, and K inks mentioned above. Each nozzle row contains multiple nozzles NZ arranged along the transport direction SD. The multiple nozzles NZ are positioned at different locations in the transport direction SD (+Y direction) and are arranged along the transport direction SD at a predetermined nozzle spacing NT.

[0024] The nozzle rows NC, NM, NY, and NK are positioned differently in the direction of head movement (X direction in Figure 2(C)), while their positions in the transport direction SD (Y direction in Figure 2(C)) overlap. For example, in the example in Figure 2(C), nozzle row NM is positioned in the +X direction of nozzle row NY, which ejects Y ink.

[0025] The printing mechanism 600 prints an image onto the paper P by alternately performing partial printing, which involves forming dots on the paper P by ejecting ink from the print head 610 while performing a main scan by the main scanning unit 630, and transporting the paper P by the transport unit 640 (sub-scanning), multiple times.

[0026] The printing mechanism 600 and printer 500 can print monochrome images using achromatic ink (e.g., K ink) without using chromatic ink (e.g., CMY ink). The printing mechanism 600 can print color images using two or more chromatic inks (e.g., CMY ink) as colorants.

[0027] Figure 3(A) shows an overview of the printer 500's database DBp. The database DBp stores various information related to the printer 500, including configuration information and status information. For example, the database DBp also records information necessary for controlling the printer 500, such as information indicating the ink level.

[0028] The management server 100, the remote printing server 200, and the advertising distribution server 300 are, for example, computers operated by a business operator that provides multiple types of services as described later (for example, a business operator that manufactures and sells printers 500), such as cloud servers.

[0029] The management server 100 is a server that manages users and printers (e.g., printer 500) used for multiple types of services. These multiple types of services are services provided using printers and include advertising distribution services and remote printing services.

[0030] The advertising distribution service is provided by the advertising distribution server 300 and the bidding servers 400A-400C. The advertising distribution service delivers advertisements to users of the printer 500 by printing an image containing one or more advertisement images to the printer 500 at a predetermined distribution timing, in this embodiment, at a fixed time once a day.

[0031] Here, while advertising in a narrow sense may sometimes mean informing people for the purpose of promoting goods or services, in this specification, advertising refers to all forms of communication where an advertiser pays advertising fees to inform people (in this embodiment, printer users), not limited to promotional purposes. And advertising images refer to images that show information to be advertised. Therefore, in this specification, advertising images are not limited to images that show information intended to promote goods or services offered by the advertiser, but also include images that show various types of information offered by the advertiser (e.g., weather information, traffic information, the advertiser's own works).

[0032] The remote printing service is a service provided by the remote printing server 200. The remote printing service allows users to send image files stored on a server or mobile device to the remote printing server 200, which then prints the images to a printer (e.g., printer 500) via the remote printing server 200. Users of the remote printing service are, for example, printer users, but in this embodiment, the advertising distribution server 300 uses the remote printing service to print advertising images to the printer.

[0033] Furthermore, the multiple types of services managed by the management server 100 may include a variety of other services. For example, in this embodiment, the multiple types of services managed include an ink management service provided by a server (not shown). The ink management service manages the remaining ink levels of the managed printers and delivers ink cartridges or ink bottles to the user according to ink consumption.

[0034] The management server 100 includes a CPU 110 as the controller of the management server 100, a volatile storage device 120 such as DRAM, a non-volatile storage device 130 such as a hard disk or flash memory, and a communication interface 180. The communication interface 180 is, for example, a wired interface compliant with Ethernet (registered trademark).

[0035] The CPU 110 is a processing unit (processor) that performs data processing. The volatile storage device 120 provides a buffer area for temporarily storing various intermediate data generated when the CPU 110 performs processing. The non-volatile storage device 130 stores the computer program PGm and the database DBm.

[0036] The computer program PGm is provided, for example, by being uploaded by the service provider. The CPU 110 of the management server 100 executes various processes related to the multiple types of services under management, as described below, by running the computer program PGm.

[0037] Figure 3(B) shows an overview of the database DBm of the management server 100. The database DBm records user IDs that identify users who use the various types of services being managed.

[0038] The database DBm further records the affiliated user ID, device ID, and contracted service information, all associated with the user ID. The affiliated user ID is the user ID assigned by the portal site the user is using (for example, a site operated by a company such as Yahoo®, Google®, or Microsoft®). The device ID is an ID that identifies the printer (for example, printer 500) used when using the various managed services. The contracted service information indicates the type of service the user is contracted for. For example, when a user uses one of the various services for the first time, they access the management server 100 using their terminal device (not shown) and submit an application for use. The user ID is generated by the management server 100 and assigned to the user at the time of the application. The affiliated service ID and device ID are recorded in the database DBm of the management server 100 based on the user's input at the time of the application for use. The contracted service information is updated each time the user enters into or cancels a service contract.

[0039] The remote print server 200 is equipped with the same CPU 210, volatile storage device 220, non-volatile storage device 230, and communication interface 280 as the management server 100. The non-volatile storage device 230 stores the computer program PGr and the database DBr.

[0040] The computer program PGr is provided, for example, by being uploaded by a business operator providing a remote printing service. The CPU 210 of the remote printing server 200 executes the computer program PGr to perform the processing necessary to realize the remote printing service. For example, the CPU 210 uses image data transmitted from a device using the remote printing service (such as a user's terminal device or an advertising distribution server 300) to generate a print job for printing an image. The CPU 210 then sends the generated print job to the printer, causing the printer to perform the printing.

[0041] Figure 3(C) shows an overview of the database DBr of the remote print server 200. The database DBr records at least the device information necessary to send print jobs to the destination device (e.g., device ID and device token). In this embodiment, the user of printer 500 has a contract to use an advertising distribution service. The advertising distribution service uses the remote print service to print advertising images. For this reason, when the advertising distribution service contract is made, the device information of printer 500 is recorded in the database DBr.

[0042] The ad delivery server 300 is equipped with the same CPU 310, volatile storage device 320, non-volatile storage device 330, and communication interface 380 as the management server 100. The non-volatile storage device 330 stores the computer program PGa and the database DBa.

[0043] The computer program PGa is provided, for example, by being uploaded by a business operator that operates an advertising distribution service. The CPU 310 of the advertising distribution server 300 functions as a distribution control unit DC and an advertising space sales unit AS by executing the computer program PGa.

[0044] The advertising space sales unit AS primarily communicates with the bidding servers 400A-400C to perform auction processing as the seller of advertising space and determine the successful bidder for the advertising space. The successful bidder's advertising image is determined to be the advertising image to be printed. The distribution control unit DC performs processing other than the auction processing performed by the advertising space sales unit AS as part of the process that realizes the advertising distribution service, such as processing that involves communication with the printer 500, remote print server 200, and management server 100.

[0045] Figure 3(D) shows an overview of the database DBa of the ad delivery server 300. Database DBa stores various information necessary for the delivery control unit DC and the ad space sales unit AS to realize the ad delivery service.

[0046] Database DBa records the IDs of users registered on management server 100 who have a contract to use the advertising distribution service.

[0047] Database DBa further records the affiliated user ID and device information, associated with the user ID. The affiliated user ID is the user ID assigned by the portal site the user is using, as mentioned above. The affiliated user ID is used by the advertising space sales department AS when executing the auction process, as will be described later. The device information is information about the printer that should print the advertising image (e.g., device ID and device token).

[0048] Database DBa further records delivery settings information, associated with user IDs and device information. Delivery settings information includes various settings related to the ad delivery service, such as information indicating the delivery time and information indicating the paper size (e.g., A4) on which the delivered ad images will be printed.

[0049] When a user uses the advertising distribution service, they access the management server 100 using, for example, a terminal device (not shown) to apply to use the advertising distribution service. In response to this application, a contract process for the advertising distribution service is executed between the terminal device and the management server 100. After this contract process, the CPU 310 of the advertising distribution server 300 retrieves the user ID and the various information associated with the user ID from the management server 100 and records it in the database DBa. In this embodiment, the user of printer 500 has a contract to use the advertising distribution service. For this reason, the database DBa records the aforementioned partner user ID, device information, and distribution setting information associated with the user ID of printer 500.

[0050] The bidding server 400A is equipped with the same CPU 410, volatile storage device 420, non-volatile storage device 430, and communication interface 480 as the management server 100. The non-volatile storage device 430 stores the computer program PGb and the database DBb. In this embodiment, the bidding server 400A is operated by a company that operates a portal site that issues partner user IDs.

[0051] The computer program PGb is provided, for example, by being uploaded by the operator running the bidding server 400A. The CPU 410 of the bidding server 400A functions as the bidding control unit BC and the consumer information management unit CM by executing the computer program PGb.

[0052] The bidding control unit BC communicates with the ad delivery server 300 and executes auction processing from the perspective of a bidder aiming to purchase ad space. In other words, the bidding control unit BC primarily executes processing to win bids for ad space based on requests from advertisers. The consumer information management unit CM manages consumer information, which is recorded in association with partner user IDs and is described later.

[0053] Figure 3(E) shows an overview of the database DBb of the bidding server 400A. Database DBb stores advertising images submitted by advertisers, advertising information, and the aforementioned partner user IDs and consumer information. The advertising image data has a known data format such as JPEG or PNG. The advertising images are either monochrome advertising images that should be printed using one color of ink (usually black ink) or color advertising images that should be printed using multiple colors of ink (for example, four CMYK inks).

[0054] Advertising information includes, for example, information related to advertising images. This includes, for example, image information about the advertising image, target information indicating the target audience (customers) to whom the advertising image should be delivered, and price cap information indicating the maximum price the advertiser is willing to pay when the advertising image is printed. Advertising information is provided, for example, by the advertiser when the advertising image is submitted. Image information includes, for example, information about the color of the advertising image and information about its resolution. Information about the color of the advertising image includes, for example, information indicating whether the advertising image is monochrome or color. Information about the resolution includes, for example, information indicating the print resolution when printing the advertising image.

[0055] Consumer information refers to information about the consumption behavior of users who have an associated affiliated user ID. Consumer information is generated based on historical information such as search history on portal sites, advertising reference history, and browsing and purchase history on websites. Consumer information may include, for example, information about areas of interest, product information, and user attributes (e.g., age group, gender, purchasing power).

[0056] Bidding servers 400B and 400C have the same configuration as bidding server 400A described above.

[0057] A-2. Operation of System 1000 Next, the operation of system 1000 will be described. System 1000 performs an advertising print process that prints advertising images on the printer (for example, printer 500) of a user who has a contract for the advertising distribution service. Figures 4 and 5 are sequence diagrams showing the operation of the advertising print process in the first embodiment. The advertising print process is started by the distribution control unit DC of the advertising distribution server 300 when predetermined start conditions are met. The predetermined start conditions are, for example, a predetermined time.

[0058] In S6, the distribution control unit DC of the ad distribution server 300 requests the ad space sales unit AS for the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the ad image. Upon receiving the request for the ad image URL, the ad space sales unit AS sets the ad recruitment conditions in S8. The recruitment conditions include, for example, the placement pattern of the ad image in the printed image and the minimum bid price. In this embodiment, the recruitment conditions are set to predetermined conditions.

[0059] Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram of the arrangement pattern of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, advertisements are solicited using the arrangement pattern shown in the advertisement template PT of Figure 6. In this embodiment, in one advertisement printing process, the printer 500 is made to print an image that fits on one sheet of paper of a predetermined size (for example, A4). The advertisement template PT is a template for creating a single print image PI (i.e., a print image that fits on one sheet of paper), which will be described later.

[0060] In this embodiment's arrangement pattern, (K × L) advertising frames Fij are arranged for one advertising template PT (i.e., one print image PI) with K rows (K is an integer greater than or equal to 2) and L columns (L is an integer greater than or equal to 2). i is the row number, an integer between 1 and K. j is the column number, an integer between 1 and L. The direction in which the rows extend (row direction) is the main scanning direction MD during printing, and the direction in which the columns extend (column direction) is the transport direction SD during printing. Figure 6 shows an example where 4 rows and 2 columns of advertising frames Fij are arranged (K=4, L=2). Each advertising frame Fij is a unit area in which one advertising image, described later, is placed.

[0061] An advertising template PT (in other words, a single print image) can be divided into K row regions RAi (where i is the row number). The range of each row region RAi does not overlap in the transport direction SD (sub-scanning direction). Since each row region RAi has L advertising frames Fij, each row region RAi can have L advertising images.

[0062] Furthermore, the advertising template PT (in other words, a single print image) can be divided into L column regions CAj (where j is the column number). The ranges of each column region CAj in the main scanning direction MD do not overlap. Since K advertising frames Fij are placed in each column region CAj, K advertising images are placed in each column region CAj.

[0063] In S10, the ad space sales unit AS sends a bid request to the bidding servers 400A-400C. Similar processing takes place between the ad distribution server 300 (ad space sales unit AS) and the bidding servers 400A-400C. For this reason, Figures 4 and 5 describe the process as being between the ad distribution server 300 and the bidding server 400, without distinguishing between the bidding servers 400A-400C. Note that communication between the ad space sales unit AS of the ad distribution server 300 and the bid control unit BC of the bidding server 400 is performed according to a protocol called OpenRTB. RTB stands for "Real Time Bidding".

[0064] The bid request includes slot information, minimum bid price information, and partner user ID. Slot information is, for example, the size of the ad slot Fij determined in S8 (number of pixels in the vertical or horizontal direction). Minimum bid price information is information indicating the minimum bid price determined in S8. Partner user ID is the partner user ID associated with the user ID of the printer 500 user.

[0065] When the bidding server 400 receives a bid request, the bidding control unit BC of the bidding server 400 acquires the bid request. In S12, the bidding control unit BC requests consumer information from the consumer information management unit CM. When requesting consumer information, the bidding control unit BC passes the affiliated user ID included in the bid request, i.e., the affiliated user ID of the printer 500 user, to the consumer information management unit CM.

[0066] When the Consumer Information Management Department (CM) receives a request for consumer information, S14 retrieves the consumer information associated with the affiliated user ID of the printer 500 user from the database DBb and passes it to the Bidding Control Unit (BC).

[0067] When the bid control unit BC receives consumer information, in S16 it decides whether or not to bid on the bid request. If it decides to bid, it determines the advertising price (bid price) and the advertising image to be printed using the advertising space if it is purchased through the bid. Here, we will continue the explanation assuming that it is decided to bid on the bid request. The advertising price is determined to be at least the minimum bid price included in the bid request. The advertising image to be printed and the advertising price are determined from among multiple advertising images already submitted and stored in the database DBa. The advertising image and advertising price are determined considering the minimum bid price, the advertising information mentioned above (target information, upper price information, type information), the consumer information obtained in S14, the printing history of each advertising image, etc.

[0068] Once the bid control unit BC has determined the ad slot, ad price, and ad image to bid on, it sends a bid notification to the ad delivery server 300 in S18. The bid notification is sent as a response to the bid request received in S10. The bid notification includes information such as the bid ID, bid slot information indicating the ad slot to be bid on, the ad price (bid price), and the ad image URL. The ad image URL is a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that indicates the location of the ad image to be printed using the ad slot if the bid is successful.

[0069] In S10, the ad delivery server 300 sends bid requests to multiple bidding servers 400A-400C, and in S18, it may receive one or more bid notifications from each of the multiple bidding servers 400-400C.

[0070] Figure 7 shows an example of N advertising images from the first embodiment and a printed image generated using those advertising images. Figure 7(A) illustrates the information of the N notified bids. Specifically, it shows the advertising image AI, advertising price, and whether the advertising image AI is a monochrome or color advertising image, corresponding to each of the N notified bids (N=14 in the example of Figure 7(A)).

[0071] An advertising image AI corresponding to a bid refers to the advertising image AI that should be printed using the advertising space if the bid is successful. At the bidding stage, it is undecided whether or not the advertising image AI will be printed, so the advertising image AI corresponding to a bid is also called a candidate image, which is a candidate for the advertising image.

[0072] The advertising price is the fee for printing the candidate image as an advertisement image. Here, the advertising price may be the amount that the distribution company receives as compensation when the candidate image is printed as an advertisement image. Alternatively, the advertising price may be the amount that the advertiser pays as compensation when the candidate image is printed as an advertisement image. Here, the advertiser refers to the advertiser or a company that bids on advertisements and makes payments to distribution companies on behalf of the advertiser (e.g., a bidding company). The amount that the distribution company receives as compensation and the amount that the advertiser pays as compensation may be the same or different depending on factors such as the presence or absence of intermediary margins and how taxes are handled.

[0073] Monochrome advertising images should be printed using monochrome printing mode. Monochrome printing mode is a printing mode that uses only one color of ink (e.g., black ink) and no other colors of ink (e.g., chromatic ink). Color advertising images should be printed using color printing mode. Color printing mode is a printing mode that uses two or more chromatic inks (e.g., CMY inks).

[0074] Monochrome advertising images often contain elements where sharp edges are crucial, such as text or QR codes (registered trademarks). When monochrome advertising images are printed in color mode, achromatic colors may be combined with chromatic inks (e.g., CMY inks), potentially resulting in blurred edges and increased ink usage. For this reason, monochrome advertising images are often preferable to print in monochrome mode, both from the perspective of image quality and ink consumption. Furthermore, since color advertising images are represented using chromatic colors, printing them in monochrome mode is likely to result in a loss of their original colors and appearance. For this reason, color advertising images are often preferable to print in color mode.

[0075] In Figure 7(A), the information on the N bids is sorted in descending order of advertising price. In the following explanation, we will assume that in S18, the advertising server 300 received notifications for the 14 bids shown in Figure 7(A).

[0076] In S20, the advertising space sales unit AS of the advertising distribution server 300 executes the successful bid process. Figure 8 is a flowchart of the successful bid process in the first embodiment. In S210, the advertising space sales unit AS determines M advertising image AIs to be printed from among N candidate images corresponding to N bids, in descending order of advertising price. Thus, in this embodiment, the M advertising image AIs to be printed are determined using only advertising price information as information about the N candidate images (advertising image AIs). For example, the M advertising image AIs to be printed are determined without using information about the printing settings of the candidate images (advertising image AIs) (for example, information indicating whether they are color or monochrome advertising images).

[0077] The number of advertising image AIs M to be determined is the number of advertising slots Fij being offered, and as shown in Figure 6, in this embodiment it is 8 (M=8). Along with the advertising image AIs, the successful bidder is also determined. That is, from the N bids notified, M bids are selected in descending order of advertising price. As a result, the advertising image AIs (candidate images) corresponding to the M selected bids are determined to be the advertising image AIs to be printed. The bidders of the M selected bids are determined to be the successful bidders. The successful bidders are advertisers who acquire the right to purchase the advertising slots.

[0078] In the example in Figure 7, out of 14 advertising images (candidate images) AIm1-AIm5 and AIc1-AIc9 corresponding to 14 bids, the 8 advertising images AIm1-AIm3 and AIc1-AIc5, enclosed by dashed lines in Figure 7(A), are selected as the advertising images AI to be printed.

[0079] In S22, following the successful bid processing in S20 in Figure 4, the advertising space sales department AS sends a successful bid result notification corresponding to each of the multiple bid notifications received in S18. The successful bid result notification is sent to the bid server 400 (either bid server 400A-400C) that sent the bid notification. The successful bid result notification includes the bid ID and successful bid result information. The successful bid result information includes information indicating whether the bid was successful or not, and if the bid was successful, it also includes information indicating the successful bid price.

[0080] When the bidding server 400 receives a notification of successful bids, the bidding control unit BC of the bidding server 400 acquires the notification. If the bidding control unit BC acquires a notification of successful bids indicating that the bid was unsuccessful, the processing performed between the ad delivery server 300 and the bidding server 400 is terminated. If the bidding control unit BC acquires a notification of successful bids indicating that the bid was successful, the processing from S26 onwards in Figure 5 is executed.

[0081] In S26, the ad slot sales unit AS of the ad delivery server 300 passes the ad image URL included in the bid notification obtained in S18 of Figure 4 to the delivery control unit DC.

[0082] In S28, the distribution control unit DC sends an ad image request (e.g., an HTTP request) to the received ad image URL. Since the ad image URL points to the ad image AI data stored in the database DBb of the bidding server 400, the ad image request is sent to the bidding server 400.

[0083] When the bidding server 400 receives an ad image request, the bidding control unit BC of the bidding server 400 acquires the ad image request. In S29, the bidding control unit BC sends the data of the ad image AI specified by the ad image URL to the ad delivery server 300 as a response to the ad image request. Since S28 and S29 are executed for each of the M ad image AIs, the ad delivery server 300 receives the data for the M ad image AIs.

[0084] When the ad delivery server 300 receives data for M ad image AIs, the delivery control unit DC of the ad delivery server 300 acquires the data for the ad image AIs. In S30, the delivery control unit DC executes a print image generation process. The print image generation process generates a single print image PI using the acquired M (8 in the example in Figure 7) ad image AIs.

[0085] Figure 9 is a flowchart of the print image generation process in the first embodiment. In S310, the distribution control unit DC acquires print setting information for M advertising image AIs. In this embodiment, the print setting information includes at least information indicating whether the advertising image AI is a monochrome advertising image that should be printed using one color of ink (usually black ink) or a color advertising image that should be printed using multiple colors of ink (for example, four CMYK inks). In this embodiment, the data file of the received advertising image AI contains image information as metadata indicating whether the advertising image AI is a monochrome advertising image or a color advertising image. The distribution control unit DC acquires this image information as print setting information. In a modified example, the distribution control unit DC may acquire the print setting information by analyzing the advertising image AI. For example, the distribution control unit DC may acquire the print setting information by analyzing the data of the advertising image AI and determining whether the advertising image AI is an image containing only achromatic colors or an image containing chromatic colors.

[0086] In S315, the distribution control unit DC classifies the M advertising images AI into monochrome advertising images and color advertising images based on the print setting information acquired in S310. In the example in Figure 7, the 8 advertising images AI are classified into 3 monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm3 and 5 color advertising images AIc1-AIc5. In S320, the distribution control unit DC determines the branching condition based on the remaining number of color advertising images Nc and the remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm.

[0087] The remaining number of color advertising images Nc is the number of color advertising images AIc1-AIc5 that should be placed on the print image PI, but whose placement has not yet been determined. In the example in Figure 7, the number of color advertising images AIc1-AIc5 that should be placed on the print image PI is 5. In the initial S320, the placement of all color advertising images AIc1-AIc5 has not yet been determined, so the remaining number of color advertising images Nc is 5.

[0088] The remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm is the number of monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm3 that should be placed on the print image PI, but whose placement has not yet been determined. In the example in Figure 7, the number of monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm3 that should be placed on the print image PI is 3. In the initial S320, the placement of monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm3 has not yet been determined, so the remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm is 3.

[0089] In S320, if the remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm is different from 1 and the remaining number of color advertising images Nc is different from 1, the distribution control unit DC proceeds to S330. The case where the remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm is different from 1 and the remaining number of color advertising images Nc is different from 1 includes the case where the remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm is 2 or more and the remaining number of color advertising images Nc is 2 or more. Furthermore, the case where the remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm is different from 1 and the remaining number of color advertising images Nc is different from 1 further includes the case where the remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm is 2 or more and the remaining number of color advertising images Nc is 0, and the case where the remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm is 0 and the remaining number of color advertising images Nc is 2 or more. In the example in Figure 7, in the initial S320, the remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm is 3 and the remaining number of color advertising images Nc is 5, so the process proceeds to S330.

[0090] In S330, the distribution control unit DC selects the pair of images to be placed from among one or more pairs of monochrome advertising images that can be composed of two or more monochrome advertising images whose placement has not been determined, and one or more pairs of color advertising images that can be composed of two or more color advertising images whose placement has not been determined, the pair with the highest total advertising price (hereinafter also referred to as the total price). If the remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm is 0, there are no pairs of monochrome advertising images, so the pair of color advertising images with the highest total price is selected. If the remaining number of color advertising images Nc is 0, there are no pairs of color advertising images, so the pair of monochrome advertising images with the highest total price is selected.

[0091] In the example in Figure 7, in the initial S330, among the three monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm3 whose placement has not yet been determined, the pair with the highest total price is the monochrome advertising images AIm1 and AIm2 (total price 300 yen + 290 yen = 590 yen). Then, among the five color advertising images AIc1-AIc5 whose placement has not yet been determined, the pair with the highest total price is the color advertising images AIc1 and AIc2 (total price 150 yen + 145 yen = 295 yen). The total price of the monochrome advertising images AIm1 and AIm2 pair (590 yen) is higher than the total price of the color advertising images AIc1 and AIc2 pair (295 yen). For this reason, in this case, the monochrome advertising images AIm1 and AIm2 pair is selected as the pair of images to be placed.

[0092] In S360, the distribution control unit DC places the selected pair of images in the row region furthest downstream in the transport direction SD among the unplaced row regions RAi. Figure 7(B) shows an example of the generated print image PI. The print image PI in Figure 7(B) is an image obtained by placing the advertising image AI in the advertising frame Fij of the advertising template PT in Figure 6. The print image PI (advertising template PT) contains four row regions RAi, and the row numbers i are assigned from the downstream side in the transport direction SD. Therefore, in the initial S330, the pair of monochrome advertising images AIm1 and AIm2 is placed in the first row region RA1, which is furthest downstream (Figure 7(B)).

[0093] In S370, the distribution control unit DC determines whether the placement of all advertising image AIs has been determined. That is, it determines whether the placement of M advertising image AIs, in the example of Figure 7, 8 advertising image AIs AIc1-AIc5 and AIm1-AIm3, has been determined. If the placement of all advertising image AIs has been determined (S370: YES), the distribution control unit DC proceeds to S380. If there are any advertising image AIs whose placement has not been determined (S370: NO), the distribution control unit DC returns to S320.

[0094] In S320, if the remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm is 1 and the remaining number of color advertising images Nc is greater than 1, or if the remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm is greater than 1 and the remaining number of color advertising images Nc is 1, the distribution control unit DC proceeds to S340. In the example in Figure 7, in the first S360, the placement of the two monochrome advertising images AIm1 and AIm2 is determined. Therefore, in the second S320, the remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm is 1 and the remaining number of color advertising images Nc is 5, so the process proceeds to S340.

[0095] In S340, the distribution control unit DC determines whether the advertising price of the remaining image (of which there is 1) is higher than the highest total price of the other image pair. For example, in the second S320 in the example in Figure 7, there is one monochrome advertising image AIm3 remaining (remaining quantity Nm=1), and five color advertising images AIc1-AIc5 remaining (remaining quantity Nc=5). In this case, the distribution control unit DC identifies the advertising price of the remaining monochrome advertising image AIm3 (280 yen) and the total price of the color advertising images AIc1 and AIc2, which is the pair with the highest total price among the image pairs that can be formed from the remaining five color advertising images AIc1-AIc5 (150 yen + 145 yen = 295 yen). The distribution control unit DC then determines whether the advertising price of the monochrome advertising image AIm3 is higher than the total price of the color advertising images AIc1 and AIc2. In this example, the advertising price of the monochrome advertising image AIm3 is determined to be less than or equal to the combined price of the color advertising images AIc1 and AIc2.

[0096] Although not shown in the diagram, there are cases where multiple monochrome ad images remain (number remaining Nm > 1), and only one color ad image remains (number remaining Nc = 1). In this case, the distribution control unit DC determines whether the price of the single color ad image is higher than the highest total price of any pair that can be formed from multiple monochrome ad images.

[0097] If the advertising price of an image with a remaining count of 1 is less than or equal to the highest total price of the other image pair (S340: NO), the distribution control unit DC proceeds to S350. In S350, the distribution control unit DC selects the image pair with the highest total price from among the monochrome advertising image and the color advertising image pair with multiple remaining images.

[0098] For example, in the example in Figure 7, in the second S320, one monochrome advertisement image AIm3 remains (remaining number Nm=1), and five color advertisement images AIc1-AIc5 remain (remaining number Nc=5). In this example, the process proceeds to S340, and in S350, the pair of color advertisement images AIc1 and AIc2, which have the highest total price, are selected from the pair of images that can be composed of the remaining five color advertisement images AIc1-AIc5. Therefore, in the example in Figure 7, in the second S350, the pair of color advertisement images AIc1 and AIc2 are placed in the second row area RA2, the second from the downstream side (Figure 7(B)).

[0099] If the advertising price of the image with only 1 remaining is higher than the highest total price of the other image pair (S340: YES), the distribution control unit DC proceeds to S345. In S345, the distribution control unit DC selects a pair of monochrome and color advertising images: the monochrome image with only 1 remaining, and the other image with the highest advertising price among multiple images.

[0100] For example, in the example in Figure 7, at the third S320, monochrome advertising images AIm1 and AIm2 are placed in the first row area RA1, and color advertising images AIc1 and AIc2 are placed in the second row area RA2. As a result, at the third S320, one monochrome advertising image AIm3 remains (remaining quantity Nm=1), and three color advertising images AIc3 and AIc5 remain (remaining quantity Nc=3). The advertising price of the remaining monochrome advertising image AIm3 (280 yen) is higher than the total advertising price of the remaining color advertising image pair AIc3 and AIc4 (130 + 130 = 260). Therefore, at the subsequent S340, it is determined that the advertising price of the image with a remaining quantity of 1 is higher than the highest total price of the other image pair, and processing proceeds to S345. Then, in S345, a pair is selected consisting of one monochrome advertisement image AIm3 and the color advertisement image AIc3, which has the highest advertisement price among the remaining three color advertisement images AIc3-AIc5. Therefore, in the example in Figure 7, in the third S350, the pair of monochrome advertisement image AIm3 and color advertisement image AIc3 is placed in the third row region RA3, the third from the downstream side (Figure 7(B)).

[0101] At the fourth step, S320, monochrome advertising images AIm1 and AIm2 are placed in the first row area RA1, color advertising images AIc1 and AIc2 are placed in the second row area RA2, and the pair of monochrome advertising image AIm3 and color advertising image AIc3 is placed in the third row area RA3. For this reason, at the fourth step, S320, there are no monochrome advertising images AIm3 remaining (remaining number Nm=0), and two color advertising images AIc4 and AIc5 remain (remaining number Nc=2). For this reason, in this case, at S330, the remaining pair of color advertising images AIc4 and AIc5 is selected. Therefore, in the example in Figure 7, at the fourth step, S350, the pair of color advertising images AIc4 and AIc5 is placed in the fourth row area RA4, which is the fourth row from the downstream side (Figure 7(B)), and processing proceeds to S380.

[0102] Although examples are omitted, in S320, there are cases where both the remaining number of color advertisement images Nc and the remaining number of monochrome advertisement images Nm are 1 (Nc=1 and Nm=1). In this case, the distribution control unit DC proceeds to S355. In S355, the distribution control unit DC selects a pair of the remaining one color advertisement image and the remaining one monochrome advertisement image. In this case, in the following S350, the pair of one color advertisement image and one monochrome advertisement image is placed in the last row area of ​​the printed image PI, and processing proceeds to S380.

[0103] By the time the process proceeds to S380, the print image PI has been generated (Figure 7(B)). The data of the print image PI has a known data format, such as JPEG or PNG. In S380, the distribution control unit DC determines the print settings for each row area RAi of the print image PI. Row areas RAi where only color advertisement images are placed, for example, the second row area RA2 and the fourth row area RA4 in Figure 7(B), are set to be printed in color printing mode. Row areas RAi where only monochrome advertisement images are placed, for example, the first row area RA1 in Figure 7(B), are set to be printed in monochrome printing mode. Row areas RAi where both color and monochrome advertisement images are placed, for example, the third row area RA3 in Figure 7(B), are set to be printed in a predetermined mode, either color printing mode or monochrome printing mode. In this embodiment, row areas RAi where both color and monochrome advertisement images are placed are set to be printed in color printing mode. Once the print settings for each row area RAi are determined, the print image generation process is terminated.

[0104] In the print image generation process described above, the placement of each advertisement image AI is determined such that L (2 in this embodiment) advertisement image AIs placed in a single row area RAi should be printed with as similar print settings as possible, and not be printed with different print settings. In other words, the placement of each advertisement image AI is determined such that the two advertisement image AIs placed in a single row area RAi should, as much as possible, be a pair of two monochrome advertisement images or a pair of two color advertisement images, and not a pair of a monochrome advertisement image and a color advertisement image.

[0105] For example, if M advertising images AI include an even number of monochrome advertising images and an even number of color advertising images, no pair of monochrome and color advertising images will be placed in a single row area RAi; instead, a pair of monochrome or color advertising images will be placed in all row areas RAi (S330). If M advertising images AI include an odd number of monochrome advertising images and an odd number of color advertising images, a pair of monochrome and color advertising images will be placed in only one row area RAi (S355, S345), and the remaining three row areas RAi will contain either a pair of monochrome or color advertising images (S330, S350, Figure 7(B)). In other words, the M advertising images AI are arranged in the print image PI such that the number of row areas RAi containing both monochrome and color advertising images is minimized (to 0 or 1).

[0106] Furthermore, M advertising image AIs are placed on the print image PI so that the advertising image AIs with the highest possible advertising price are placed on the downstream side of the transport direction SD (S330, S340-S450, S360). Since the print image PIs are printed sequentially on the paper P from the downstream side of the transport direction SD, the images printed on the downstream side of the transport direction SD of the paper P are more likely to be seen by the user of the printer 500 and are more likely to leave a lasting impression on the user than the images printed on the upstream side of the transport direction SD. For this reason, the advertising image AIs printed on the downstream side of the transport direction SD of the paper P are considered to have higher advertising value.

[0107] When the print image generation process in S30 of Figure 5 is completed, in S34 the distribution control unit DC sends a print command to the remote print server 200. The print command includes, for example, the data of the print image PI, information indicating the print settings for printing the print image PI (the print settings for each row area RAi determined in S380 of Figure 9), and a device token. The device token is authentication information for remote printing associated with the printer 500.

[0108] When the remote print server 200 receives a print command, in S36, the remote print server 200 and the printer 500 perform remote printing. For example, the CPU 210 of the remote print server 200 generates a print job to print the print image PI according to the print settings. The CPU 210 identifies the printer 500 to which the print job will be sent based on the device token. The CPU 110 sends the generated print job to the printer 500.

[0109] In this embodiment, the printer 500 maintains a constant connection with a relay server (not shown) while powered on. This constant connection follows protocols such as MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) or XMPP (eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol). In this embodiment, communication between the remote print server 200 and the printer 500 is performed via the relay server.

[0110] When the CPU 510 of the printer 500 receives a print job, it uses that print job to execute printing. That is, the printer 500 controls the printing mechanism 600 to print a print image PI on a single sheet of paper P. The print image PI is printed according to the print settings determined in S380 of Figure 9. For this reason, the first row area RA1 of the print image PI is printed using monochrome printing mode, while the second row area RA2, the third row area RA3, and the fourth row area RA4 are printed using color printing mode. When the CPU 510 has finished printing the print image PI, it sends a print completion notification to the remote print server 200 via the relay server.

[0111] When the remote printing process in S36 is completed, in S38 the CPU 210 of the remote printing server 200 sends a print completion notification to the ad distribution server 300 indicating that the printing of the print image PI has been completed. When the ad distribution server 300 receives the print completion notification, the distribution control unit DC of the ad distribution server 300 acquires the print completion notification. In S40, the distribution control unit DC passes the print completion notification to the ad space sales unit AS.

[0112] When the advertising space sales department AS receives a print completion notification, in S42, an advertising fee settlement process is executed between the advertising space sales department AS and the bidding server 400. The advertising fee settlement process is, for example, the process of payment of advertising fees from the advertiser of the advertising image to the operator of the advertising distribution server 300. The advertising fee settlement process is executed using a well-known online settlement method. The amount of the advertising fee is, for example, the winning bid price. Alternatively, in S42, the advertising space sales department AS may simply send a notification to the bidding server 400 that the advertising fee invoice has been finalized. In this case, the actual settlement process may be executed, for example, once a predetermined period at a predetermined time (for example, once a month at the beginning of the month).

[0113] Once the advertising cost settlement process is complete, the advertising space sales department AS sends a settlement completion notification to the distribution control unit DC in S44. When the distribution control unit DC receives the settlement completion notification, the advertising printing process is terminated.

[0114] According to the first embodiment described above, the ad distribution server 300 (CPU 310) obtains information on N ad prices for N candidate images (ad image AI) from the bidding server 400 (S18 in Figure 4). The ad distribution server 300 uses the information on N ad prices to determine M (8 in this embodiment) ad target images to be printed from among the N candidate images (S20 in Figure 4). The ad distribution server 300 obtains the determined M ad image AI (S29 in Figure 5). The M ad image AI includes monochrome ad images AIm1 and AIm2 to be printed using monochrome printing mode, and a color ad image AIc1 to be printed using color printing mode (Figure 7(A)). The ad distribution server 300 generates a print image PI containing the M ad image AI (S30 in Figure 5, Figure 9). The M advertising images AI are arranged within the print image PI such that monochrome advertising images AIm1 and AIm2 are located in the first row area RA1, and color advertising image AIc1 is located in the second row area RA2 (Figure 7(B)). In other words, the M advertising images AI are arranged within the print image PI such that the range of the transport direction SD where the monochrome advertising image AIm1 to be printed using monochrome printing mode is located and the range of the transport direction SD where the monochrome advertising image AIm2 to be printed using monochrome printing mode is located overlap, but the range of the transport direction SD where the color advertising image AIc1 to be printed using color printing mode is located and the range of the transport direction SD where the monochrome advertising images AIm1 and AIm2 to be printed using monochrome printing mode are located do not overlap. The printer 500 prints the print image PI on one sheet of paper P (S36 in Figure 5). In the printed image PI, the first row area RA1, which includes monochrome advertising images AIm1 and AIm2, is printed using monochrome printing mode, while the second row area RA2, which includes color advertising image AIc1, is printed using color printing mode. As a result, multiple advertising images AIm1, AIm2, and AIc1 can be printed on a single sheet of paper P using multiple different print settings (in this embodiment, color printing mode and monochrome printing mode). For example, without changing the print settings during the main scan, monochrome advertising images AIm1 and AIm2 can be printed using monochrome printing mode, and color advertising image AIc1 can be printed using color printing mode.

[0115] In a printer 500 that prints a print image PI by performing partial printing (where ink is ejected from the print head 610 while the main scan is performed) and sub-scanning (paper transport P) multiple times, it can be difficult to change the print settings in the middle of the main scan. In this embodiment, the transport direction SD range where the monochrome advertisement image AIm1 is located overlaps with the transport direction SD range where the monochrome advertisement image AIm2 is located. Therefore, two monochrome advertisement images AIm1 and AIm2, which should be printed using the same print settings (monochrome print mode), can be efficiently printed using a common main scan. Also, the transport direction SD range where the color advertisement image AIc1 is located does not overlap with the transport direction SD range where the monochrome advertisement images AIm1 and AIm2 are located. Therefore, the color advertisement image AIc1 and the monochrome advertisement images AIm1 and AIm2, which should be printed using different print settings (color print mode and monochrome print mode), can be printed using separate main scans. For this reason, the color advertisement image AIc1 and the monochrome advertisement images AIm1 and AIm2 can be printed using the appropriate print settings without changing the print settings during the main scan.

[0116] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the ad delivery server 300 determines M ad image AIs to be printed from among the N candidate images (ad image AIs) in the bidding process shown in Figure 8, without using information indicating the print settings to be used for printing the N candidate images (ad image AIs) (for example, information indicating whether the ad image is a color ad image or a monochrome ad image) (Figure 8). As a result, since the M ad image AIs can be determined purely based on the ad price alone, the total ad price obtained by printing the print image AIs can be maximized.

[0117] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the print image PI (advertisement template PT) includes an advertisement frame Fij, which is a unit area of ​​K rows and L columns (4 rows and 2 columns in this embodiment) where M advertisement images AI are arranged one by one (Figures 6 and 7(B)). The number of advertisement images AI, M, determined by the bidding process, is (K × L). As described above, the (K × L) advertisement images AI are arranged in the K row and L column advertisement frame Fij such that the number of row areas RAi containing both monochrome and color advertisement images is minimized (0 or 1 in this embodiment) (Figures 7 and 9). As a result, the print image PI can be generated in such a way that it can be printed using the desired print settings (e.g., monochrome print mode and color print mode) without changing the print settings during the main scan as much as possible.

[0118] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the information on the N candidate images acquired by the ad distribution server 300 includes price information indicating the advertising price (S18 in Figure 4). The ad distribution server 300 determines that candidate images with higher advertising prices should be prioritized for printing as ad image AIs (S20 in Figure 4, Figure 8). The M ad image AIs are arranged such that the advertising prices of ad images AIm1 and AIm2 placed in the first row area RA1 are higher than the advertising prices of ad images AIc1 and AIc3 placed in the second row area RA2, which is located upstream of the first row area RA1 in the transport direction SD (sub-scanning direction) (Figure 7(B), S330 and S360 in Figure 9). As described above, the ad image AIs placed in the first row area RA1 are printed before the ad image AIs placed in the second row area RA2, which is located upstream of the first row area RA1 in the transport direction SD, making them more visible to the printer 500 user and thus having higher advertising value. According to this embodiment, M advertising images AI can be appropriately placed on a printed image PI so that advertising images with high advertising prices have higher value as advertisements.

[0119] More specifically, in this embodiment, multiple advertising image AIs are placed in the first row area RA1 and the second row area RA2, respectively (Figures 6 and 7(B)). The M advertising image AIs are arranged such that the sum of the advertising prices of the multiple advertising image AIs AIm1 and AIm2 placed in the first row area RA1 is higher than the sum of the advertising prices of the multiple advertising image AIs AIc1 and AIc2 placed in the second row area RA2 (Figures 7(B) and S330 and S360 in Figure 9). As a result, appropriate advertising image AIs can be placed in the first row area RA1 and the second row area RA2, where multiple advertising image AIs are placed, according to their respective advertising prices.

[0120] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm is 1, if the advertising price of the remaining monochrome advertising image is higher than the highest total price of the remaining pairs of color advertising images, the pair of that monochrome advertising image and the color advertising image with the highest advertising price among the multiple color advertising images is preferentially placed (YES in S340 and S345 in Figure 9). Then, if the advertising price of the remaining monochrome advertising image is less than or equal to the highest total price of the remaining pairs of color advertising images, the pair of color advertising images having the highest total price is preferentially placed (NO in S340 and S350 in Figure 9). As a result, even when a pair of monochrome and color advertising images is placed in a single row area RAi, it can be placed in an appropriate row area RAi considering its relationship with the advertising prices of other advertising images.

[0121] As can be seen from the above explanation, the advertising price information in this embodiment is an example of candidate information, and the advertising image is an example of a target image. The monochrome printing mode in this embodiment is an example of the first printing setting, and the color printing mode is an example of the second printing setting.

[0122] B. Second Example In the second embodiment, the content of the successful bid process executed in S20 of Figure 4 and the content of the print image generation process executed in S30 of Figure 5 differ from those of the first embodiment. Figure 10 shows an example of N advertising images and a print image generated using these advertising images in the second embodiment. Figure 10(A) shows the information of the N (N=14 in the example of Figure 10(A)) bids that have been notified, including the advertising image AI, advertising price, and whether it is a monochrome or color advertising image. The bid information in Figure 10(A) is the same as the bid information in Figure 7(A). In the following, assuming that the advertising distribution server 300 has received notifications for the 14 bids shown in Figure 10(A), the successful bid process and print image generation process of the second embodiment will be described.

[0123] Figure 11 is a flowchart of the bidding process in the second embodiment. In the bidding process of the second embodiment, M advertising images AI to be printed are determined such that the number of monochrome advertising images M1 and the number of color advertising images M2 are both even numbers (multiples of 2) (M = M1 + M2).

[0124] In S200B, the advertising space sales unit AS acquires print setting information indicating the print settings to be used when N candidate images are printed as advertising image AI. In this embodiment, the print setting information acquired includes information indicating whether each candidate image is a color advertising image or a monochrome advertising image. This allows the advertising space sales unit AS to recognize whether each candidate image (advertising image AI) is a color advertising image or a monochrome advertising image in the processing described later in 220B and beyond.

[0125] In S210B, similar to S210 in Figure 8, the advertising space sales unit AS of the advertising distribution server 300 determines M advertising images AI to be printed from among N candidate images corresponding to N bids, in descending order of advertising price. At this point, the process is the same as the successful bid process in the first embodiment, so from among the 14 advertising images (candidate images) AIm1-AIm5, AIc1-AIc9, the eight advertising images AIm1-AIm3, AIc1-AIc5 enclosed by dashed lines in Figure 7(A) are determined to be advertising images AI to be printed.

[0126] In S220B, the advertising space sales department AS determines whether the number of monochrome and color advertising images M1 and M2 among the M advertising image AIs that have been determined are even. If the number of monochrome and color advertising images M1 and M2 are even (S220B: YES), the advertising space sales department AS terminates the bidding process. In this case, the M advertising image AIs determined in S210B are determined as the final M advertising image AIs.

[0127] If the number of monochrome and color advertising images M1 and M2 among the M predetermined advertising images AI are odd (S220B: NO), then in S230B, the advertising space sales department AS calculates the sum of the lowest price among the 1 or more predetermined color advertising images and the highest price among the multiple undetermined color advertising images, which is TVc. In the example in Figure 7(A), the lowest price among the 5 predetermined color advertising images AIc1-AIc5 in S210B is the advertising price of color advertising image AIc5 (120 yen). The highest price among the 4 undetermined color advertising images AIc6-AIc9 in S210B is the advertising price of color advertising image AIc6 (115 yen). For this reason, the sum of the advertising price of color advertising image AIc5 (120 yen) and the advertising price of color advertising image AIc6 (115 yen) (120 + 115 = 235 yen) is calculated as the total TVc.

[0128] In S240B, the advertising space sales department AS calculates the total TVm by adding the lowest price among the one or more monochrome advertising images that have been decided and the highest price among the multiple monochrome advertising images that have not yet been decided. In the example in Figure 7(A), the lowest price among the three monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm3 that have been decided in S210B is the advertising price of monochrome advertising image AIm3 (280 yen). The highest price among the two monochrome advertising images AIm4 and AIm5 that have not yet been decided in S210B is the advertising price of monochrome advertising image AIm4 (110 yen). For this reason, the sum of the advertising price of monochrome advertising image AIm3 (280 yen) and the advertising price of monochrome advertising image AIm4 (110 yen) (280 + 110 = 390 yen) is calculated as the total TVm.

[0129] In S250B, the advertising space sales department AS determines whether the total TVc calculated in S230B is greater than the total TVm calculated in S240B. In the example in Figure 7(A), the total TVc is 235 yen and the total TVm is 390 yen, so it is determined that the total TVc is less than or equal to the total TVm.

[0130] If the total TVc is less than or equal to the total TVm (S250B:NO), in 270B, the advertising space sales department AS decides to print the highest-priced, undecided monochrome advertising image instead of the lowest-priced, already decided color advertising image. As a result, the number of decided color advertising images decreases by one and the number of decided monochrome advertising images increases by one, so the number of decided color advertising images M1 and M2 become even numbers. In the example in Figure 7(A), of the five decided color advertising images AIc1-AIc5, the color advertising image AIc5, which has the lowest advertising price, is replaced by the monochrome advertising image AIm4, which has the highest advertising price, from the two undecided monochrome advertising images AIm4 and AIm5, which is decided to print. As a result, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 10(A), four monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm4 and four color advertising images AIc1-AIc4 are determined to be the M (eight in the example of Figure 7(A)) advertising image AIs to be printed. It can be seen that the number M1 and M2 of monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm4 and color advertising images AIc1-AIc4 within the M advertising image AIs are adjusted to be even numbers.

[0131] If the total TVc is greater than the total TVm (S250B: YES), the advertising space sales department AS decides in 260B to print the undecided highest-priced color advertising image instead of the predetermined lowest-priced monochrome advertising image. As a result, the number of predetermined color advertising images increases by one and the number of predetermined monochrome advertising images decreases by one, so the number of predetermined color advertising images and monochrome advertising images M1 and M2 become even numbers, respectively.

[0132] In S260B and S270B, the bidding process is completed when the number of confirmed color and monochrome advertising images, M1 and M2, are adjusted to an even number.

[0133] Next, the print image generation process of the second embodiment will be described. In the print image generation process of the second embodiment, a print image PIb is generated using the M advertising image AIs determined in the bidding process shown in Figure 11. In the bidding process shown in Figure 11, as described above, an even number of monochrome advertising images and an even number of color advertising images are determined as the M advertising image AIs. For this reason, in the print image generation process of the second embodiment, a print image PIb can be generated without placing both monochrome advertising images and color advertising images in a single row area RAi.

[0134] Figure 12 is a flowchart of the print image generation process in the second embodiment. In S310B, the distribution control unit DC acquires print setting information for M advertising image AIs, similar to S310 in Figure 9. In this embodiment, the print setting information includes at least information indicating whether the advertising image AI is a monochrome advertising image or a color advertising image.

[0135] In S320B, the distribution control unit DC, similar to S315 in Figure 9, classifies the M advertising images AI into monochrome advertising images and color advertising images based on the print setting information acquired in S310B. In the example in Figure 10, the 8 advertising images AI are classified into 4 monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm4 and 4 color advertising images AIc1-AIc4.

[0136] In S330B, the distribution control unit DC, similar to S330 in Figure 9, selects the pair of images to be placed from among one or more pairs of monochrome advertising images that can be composed of two or more monochrome advertising images whose placement has not been determined, and one or more pairs of color advertising images that can be composed of two or more color advertising images whose placement has not been determined, with the highest total advertising price (hereinafter also referred to as the total price). In the second embodiment, since the number of color advertising images and monochrome advertising images M1 and M2 are adjusted to even numbers in advance during the bidding process, it is impossible for the remaining number of color advertising images Nc to be 1 or the remaining number of monochrome advertising images Nm to be 1. For this reason, the branching process in S320 and the processes in S340-S355 in Figure 9 of the first embodiment are not necessary in the print image generation process of the second embodiment.

[0137] In the example in Figure 10, the first 330B selects the pair of monochrome advertising images AIm1 and AIm2 (total price 590 yen), the second 330B selects the pair of monochrome advertising images AIm3 and AIm4 (total price 390 yen), the third 330B selects the pair of color advertising images AIc1 and AIc2 (total price 295 yen), and the fourth 330B selects the pair of color advertising images AIc3 and AIc4 (total price 260 yen).

[0138] In S360B, the distribution control unit DC, similar to S360 in Figure 9, places the selected pair of images in the row region RAi that is furthest downstream in the transport direction SD among the unplaced row regions RAi. Figure 10(B) shows an example of the generated print image PIb. As shown in Figure 10(B), the pair of advertising images AI selected in the preceding S330B are sequentially placed in the row regions RAi from the downstream side in the transport direction SD.

[0139] In S370B, the distribution control unit DC determines whether the placement of all advertising image AIs has been determined, similar to S370 in Figure 9. If the placement of all advertising image AIs has been determined (S370B: YES), the distribution control unit DC proceeds to S380B. If there are any advertising image AIs whose placement has not been determined (S370B: NO), the distribution control unit DC returns to S330B.

[0140] In S380B, the distribution control unit DC determines the print settings for each row area RAi of the print image PIb, similar to S380 in Figure 9. The print settings are determined so that row areas RAi containing only color advertisement images, for example, the third row area RA3 and the fourth row area RA4 in Figure 10(B), are printed in color print mode. The print settings are determined so that row areas RAi containing only monochrome advertisement images, for example, the first row area RA1 and the second row area RA2 in Figure 10(B), are printed in monochrome print mode. In the second embodiment, there are no row areas RAi containing both color and monochrome advertisement images. Once the print settings for each row area RAi are determined, the print image generation process is terminated.

[0141] According to the second embodiment described above, the ad distribution server 300 acquires setting information indicating the print settings to be used for printing N candidate images, specifically information indicating whether each candidate image (advertising image AI) is a monochrome advertising image or a color advertising image (S200B in Figure 11). The ad distribution server 300 uses this information to determine M advertising image AIs to be printed from among the N candidate images (S220B-S270B in Figure 11). As a result, M target images can be determined by considering the print settings to be used for printing N candidate images, specifically whether each candidate image is a color advertising image or a monochrome print image. As a result, for example, M advertising image AIs can be determined so that they can be printed using the appropriate print settings without changing the print settings during the main scan.

[0142] More specifically, the ad delivery server 300 determines M ad image AIs such that the number of monochrome ad images and color ad images M1 and M2 are both even (multiples of 2). For example, when determining which ad image AIs will be placed one by one in a 4x2 ad frame Fij, if the number of monochrome ad images and color ad images is odd, then it becomes necessary to place both monochrome and color ad images in at least one row area RAi. To avoid this, in the second embodiment, the number of monochrome ad images and color ad images is adjusted to be even. As a result, M ad image AIs can be determined so that all ad image AIs can be printed using the print settings to be printed, without changing the print settings during the main scan.

[0143] C. Third Example Figure 13 is an explanatory diagram of the paper transport and printed image PIc in the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the paper P is, for example, A3 or A4 size paper, and is a rectangular sheet of paper having a short side and a long side. In the third embodiment, the printer 500 that prints the printed image PIc is either a first type printer or a second type printer, which have different paper transport methods for the paper P.

[0144] In a Type 1 printer, as shown in Figure 13(A), the transport direction SD during printing is parallel to the longer side of the rectangular paper P being transported. In a Type 2 printer, as shown in Figure 13(B), the transport direction SD during printing is parallel to the shorter side of the rectangular paper P being transported.

[0145] In the third embodiment, different print images PIc are generated depending on the type of printer 500 that prints the print image PIc. The image generated when printer 500 is a first-type printer is the first-type print image PIc1 shown in Figure 13(A). The image generated when printer 500 is a second-type printer is the second-type print image PIc2 shown in Figure 13(B).

[0146] In the first type of printed image PIc1, similar to the printed images PI and PIb generated in the first and second embodiments, (K × L) advertising image AIs are arranged in K rows (where K is an integer greater than or equal to 2) and L columns (where L is an integer greater than or equal to 2). In the example in Figure 13(A), eight advertising image AIs are arranged in 4 rows and 2 columns. In the second type of printed image PIc2, (K × L) advertising image AIs are arranged in L rows and K columns. In the example in Figure 13(B), eight advertising image AIs are arranged in 2 rows and 4 columns.

[0147] The direction in which rows extend (row direction) is the main scanning direction MD during printing, and the direction in which columns extend (column direction) is the transport direction SD during printing. The range of each row area in the transport direction SD (sub-scanning direction) does not overlap with each other. The range of each column area in the main scanning direction MD does not overlap with each other. For this reason, in the first type of printed image PIc1, the row areas RA1-RA4 do not overlap in the direction parallel to the long side of the paper P, and the column areas CA1 and CA2 do not overlap in the direction parallel to the short side of the paper P. Then, in the second type of printed image PIc2, the row areas RAb1 and RAb2 do not overlap in the direction parallel to the short side of the paper P, and the column areas CAb1-CAb4 do not overlap in the direction parallel to the long side of the paper P.

[0148] In the third embodiment, as described above, different print images PIc are generated depending on the type of printer 500, so the content of the successful bid process executed in S20 of Figure 4 and the content of the print image generation process executed in S30 of Figure 5 differ from those in the first embodiment. Below, assuming that the advertising distribution server 300 has received notifications for 14 bids as shown in Figure 10(A), the successful bid process and print image generation process of the second embodiment will be described.

[0149] Figure 14 is a flowchart of the bidding process in the third embodiment. In S210C, the advertising space sales unit AS of the advertising distribution server 300 acquires paper orientation information for the printer 500 that should print the print image PI.

[0150] Paper orientation information indicates the relationship between the transport direction SD (sub-scanning direction) of the printer 500 and the paper P when printing a print image PIc. Specifically, the paper orientation information indicates whether the transport direction SD during printing is parallel to the longer side of the transported rectangular paper P or parallel to the shorter side of the transported rectangular paper P.

[0151] For example, the device information stored in the database DBa (Figure 3(a)) of the ad distribution server 300 contains information indicating the model name of the printer 500 that should print the print image PI. The ad space sales department AS refers to the device information in database DBa to identify the model name of the printer 500. The ad space sales department AS obtains the paper orientation information of the printer 500 by referring to a table (not shown) that records the association between the model name and the paper orientation information of the printer having that model name. In a modified example, the paper orientation information of the printer 500 may also be obtained by sending a request for paper orientation information from the ad distribution server 300 to the printer 500 and receiving the paper orientation information from the printer 500 as a response to the request.

[0152] In the S220C, the advertising space sales department AS determines, based on the acquired paper orientation information, whether the paper transport direction SD of the printer 500 is parallel to the long side of the paper P or parallel to the short side of the paper P.

[0153] If the transport direction SD is parallel to the long side of the paper P (S220C: YES), the advertising space sales unit AS executes the bidding process shown in Figure 11, as described in the second embodiment, in S230C. As a result, for example, in the example of Figure 10(A), four monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm4 and four color advertising images AIc1-AIc4 are determined as advertising images AI to be printed. Once M advertising images AI have been determined, the bidding process shown in Figure 14 is terminated.

[0154] If the transport direction SD is parallel to the short side of the paper P (S220C:NO), the advertising space sales department AS proceeds to S240C. In S240C, the advertising space sales department AS selects 4 undecided monochrome advertising images from the N advertising images AI in descending order of advertising price, and calculates the sum of the advertising prices of the 4 selected monochrome advertising images (called the total price Tm4). For example, in the first S240C, 4 monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm4 are selected from the 14 advertising images AI shown in Figure 10(A). Then, the total advertising price Tm4 (300+290+280+110=980 yen) of the monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm4 is calculated.

[0155] In S250C, the advertising space sales department AS selects four undecided color advertising images from N advertising image AIs in descending order of advertising price, and calculates the sum of the advertising prices of the four selected color advertising images (referred to as the total price Tc4). For example, in the first S250C, four color advertising images AIc1-AIc4 are selected from the 14 advertising image AIs shown in Figure 10(A). Then, the total advertising price Tc4 (150+145+130+130=555 yen) of the color advertising images AIc1-AIc4 is calculated.

[0156] In S260C, the advertising space sales department AS determines whether the total price Tc4 calculated in S250C is greater than the total price Tm4 calculated in S240C. In the example above, the total price Tc4 is 555 yen and the total price Tm4 is 980 yen, so in the initial S260C, it is determined that the total price Tc4 is less than or equal to the total price Tm4.

[0157] If the total price Tc4 is less than or equal to the total price Tm4 (S260C: NO), in 280C, the advertising space sales department AS decides that the four monochrome advertising images selected in S240C are the advertising images AI to be printed.

[0158] If the total price Tc4 is greater than the total price Tm4 (S260C:YES), in 270C, the advertising space sales department AS determines the four color advertising images selected in S250C as the advertising images AI to be printed.

[0159] In S290C, the advertising space sales department AS determines whether or not it has decided on the eight advertising image AIs to be printed. If the placement of the eight advertising image AIs to be printed has been decided (S290C: YES), the advertising space sales department AS terminates the bidding process. If the placement of the eight advertising image AIs to be printed has not been decided (S290C: NO), the advertising space sales department AS returns to S240C.

[0160] In the example shown in Figure 10(A), the process proceeds to S280C after the first S260C, where monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm4 are determined to be the advertising images AI to be printed. After the second S260C, the process proceeds to S270C, where color advertising images AIc1-AIc4 are determined to be the advertising images AI to be printed, and the bidding process is completed.

[0161] As can be seen from the above explanation, in this embodiment, when the transport direction SD is parallel to the long side of the paper P (S220C:YES), M (8 in this embodiment) advertising image AIs are determined so that the number of color advertising images M1 and M2 are each even (multiples of 2), similar to the second embodiment. When the transport direction SD is parallel to the short side of the paper P (S220C:NO), M (8 in this embodiment) advertising image AIs are determined so that the number of color advertising images M1 and M2 are each multiples of 4.

[0162] Next, the print image generation process of the third embodiment will be described. In the print image generation process of the third embodiment, a print image PIc is generated using M advertising image AIs determined in the bidding process shown in Figure 14. In the bidding process shown in Figure 14, as described above, M advertising image AIs are determined such that the number of monochrome advertising images and an even number of color advertising images M1 and M2 are multiples of 2 or 4. For this reason, in the print image generation process of the third embodiment, a print image PIc can be generated without placing both monochrome advertising images and color advertising images in a single row area RAi, RAbi.

[0163] Figure 15 is a flowchart of the print image generation process in the third embodiment. In S310C, the distribution control unit DC acquires print setting information for M advertising image AIs, similar to S310 in Figure 9. In this embodiment, the print setting information includes at least information indicating whether the advertising image AI is a monochrome advertising image or a color advertising image.

[0164] In S320C, the distribution control unit DC classifies M advertising images AI into monochrome advertising images and color advertising images based on the print setting information acquired in S310C, similar to S315 in Figure 9.

[0165] In S330C, the distribution control unit DC determines, based on the paper orientation information described above, whether the transport direction SD of the paper P in the printer 500 is parallel to the long side of the paper P or parallel to the short side of the paper P.

[0166] If the transport direction SD is parallel to the long side of the paper P (S330C: YES), the distribution control unit DC executes S330B-S370B in S340C, as shown in Figure 12, which was described in the second embodiment. This generates a first type of print image PIc1 (Figure 13(A)) in which monochrome advertisement images AIm1-AIm4 and color advertisement images AIc1-AIc4 are arranged, similar to the print image PIb (Figure 10(B)) in the second embodiment. Once the first type of print image PIc1 is generated, processing proceeds to S380C.

[0167] If the transport direction SD is parallel to the short side of the paper P (S330C: NO), the distribution control unit DC proceeds to S330C. In S330C, the distribution control unit DC selects the set with the highest total price from among the sets of four monochrome advertising images and four color advertising images that can be composed of advertising images AI whose placement has not yet been determined. For example, if the M (8 in this embodiment) advertising images AI to be printed are monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm4 and color advertising images AIc1-AIc4, then at the time of the first S330C, the sets of monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm4 and the sets of color advertising images AIc1-AIc4 can be composed. The total advertising price Tm4 for the set of monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm4 is 980 yen as described above, and the total advertising price Tc4 for the set of monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm4 is 555 yen as described above. For this reason, the first S330C selects the set of monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm4. In the second S330C, the only set that can be composed of unplaced advertising image AIs is the set of color advertising images AIc1-AIc4, so the set of color advertising images AIc1-AIc4 is selected.

[0168] In S340C, the distribution control unit DC places the selected set of advertising images in the row area furthest downstream in the transport direction SD among the unplaced row areas RAbi. The second type of printed image PIc2 in Figure 13(B) contains two row areas RAi, and the row number i is assigned from the downstream side in the transport direction SD. Therefore, in the first S340C, the set of monochrome advertising images AIm1-AIm4 is placed in the first row area RAb1, which is furthest downstream. In the second S340C, the set of color advertising images AIc1-AIc4 is placed in the second row area RAb2.

[0169] In S370C, the distribution control unit DC determines whether the placement of all advertising image AIs has been determined, similar to S370 in Figure 9. If the placement of all advertising image AIs has been determined (S370C: YES), the distribution control unit DC proceeds to S380C. If there are any advertising image AIs whose placement has not been determined (S370C: NO), the distribution control unit DC returns to S330C.

[0170] In S380C, the distribution control unit DC determines the print settings for each row area RAi of the print image PIc, similar to S380 in Figure 9. The print settings are determined so that row areas containing only color advertisement images, such as the third row area RA3 and the fourth row area RA4 in Figure 13(A), and the second row area RAb2 in Figure 13(B), are printed in color print mode. The print settings are determined so that row areas containing only monochrome advertisement images, such as the first row area RA1 and the second row area RA2 in Figure 13(A), and the first row area RAb1 in Figure 13(B), are printed in monochrome print mode. In the third embodiment, there are no row areas containing both color and monochrome advertisement images. Once the print settings for each row area are determined, the print image generation process is terminated.

[0171] According to the third embodiment described above, the ad distribution server 300 acquires paper orientation information indicating whether the transport direction SD when the print image PIc is printed is parallel to the long side or parallel to the short side of the paper P (S210C in Figure 14). The ad distribution server 300 places monochrome ad images AIm1 and AIm2, which should be printed with the same print settings (monochrome print mode), into a single row area (RA1 or RAb1) (Figure 13). The ad distribution server 300 places monochrome ad images AIm1 and AIm2, and color ad image AIc1, which should be printed with different print settings (monochrome print mode and color print mode), into different row areas (RA1 and RA2, or RAb1 and RAb2) (Figure 13). In other words, when the transport direction SD is parallel to the long side of the paper P (Figure 13(A)), the M advertising images AI are arranged within the first type of printed image PIc1 such that the area in the direction parallel to the long side of the paper P where the monochrome advertising image AIm1 is located overlaps with the area in the direction parallel to the long side of the paper P where the monochrome advertising image AIm2 is located, but the area in the direction parallel to the long side of the paper P where the color advertising image AIc1 is located does not overlap with the area in the direction parallel to the long side of the paper P where the monochrome advertising images AIm1 and AIm2 are located (Figure 13(A)). Furthermore, when the transport direction SD is parallel to the short side of the paper P (Figure 13(B)), the M advertising images AI are arranged within the second type of printed image PIc2 such that the area in the direction parallel to the short side of the paper P where the monochrome advertising image AIm1 is located overlaps with the area in the direction parallel to the short side of the paper P where the monochrome advertising image AIm2 is located, but the area in the direction parallel to the short side of the paper P where the color advertising image AIc1 is located does not overlap with the area in the direction parallel to the short side of the paper P where the monochrome advertising images AIm1 and AIm2 are located (Figure 13(B)). As a result, the arrangement of the M advertising images AI can be determined so that, depending on the transport direction of the paper P in the printer 500, the advertising images AI can be printed using the print settings to be printed without changing the print settings during the main scan. D. Variations

[0172] (1) In each of the above embodiments, the print settings considered when determining M advertising image AIs to be printed from N candidate images, and the print settings considered when determining the placement of advertising image AIs in the printed image, are a setting that prints using achromatic ink (e.g., K ink) without using chromatic ink (e.g., CMY ink) (monochrome print mode) and a setting that prints using two or more chromatic inks (color print mode). The print settings are not limited to these, and other print settings may be considered.

[0173] Figure 16 shows an example of a modified version with N advertising images and a printed image generated using those advertising images. Figure 16(A) illustrates the information of the N notified bids. Specifically, it shows the advertising image AI, advertising price, and whether the advertising image AI is a high-resolution or low-resolution advertising image for each of the N notified bids (N=14 in the example of Figure 7(A)). A high-resolution advertising image is an advertising image AI that should be printed with a print setting where the print resolution is a first resolution (e.g., 600dpi × 600dpi). A low-resolution advertising image is an advertising image AI that should be printed with a print setting where the print resolution is lower than the first resolution, a second resolution (e.g., 300dpi × 300dpi).

[0174] In this modified example, the print settings considered when determining M advertising image AIs to be printed from N candidate images, and the print settings considered when determining the placement of advertising image AIs in the printed image, are the print resolution settings. For example, in the bidding process S20 in Figure 4, the advertising space sales department AS obtains information indicating the print resolution settings as print setting information for the N candidate images. For example, the received advertising image AI data file contains metadata indicating the print resolution when printing the advertising image AI. In the bidding process, for example, the advertising space sales department AS determines M advertising image AIs to be printed such that the number of high-resolution advertising images Mh and the number of low-resolution advertising images Hl are both even numbers (M = Mh + Ml). For example, in the example shown in Figure 16(A), from among 14 candidate images (high-resolution advertising images AIh1-AIh5 and low-resolution advertising images AIl1-AIl9), four high-resolution advertising images AIh1-AIh4 and four low-resolution advertising images AIl1-AIl4 are selected as the advertising images AI to be printed, as shown by the dashed lines.

[0175] Furthermore, in the print image generation process S30 in Figure 5, the distribution control unit DC acquires information indicating the print resolution setting as print setting information for N candidate images. In the print image generation process, the distribution control unit DC places two advertisement images AI to be printed at the same print resolution in one row area RAi. Figure 16(B) shows an example of the print image PIv generated in this modified example. In the example in Figure 16(B), two high-resolution advertisement images are placed in the first row area RA1 and the second row area RA2, respectively. Two low-resolution advertisement images are placed in the third row area RA3 and the fourth row area RA4, respectively. The printer 500 prints the first row area RA1 and the second row area RA2 at a first resolution, and prints the third row area RA3 and the fourth row area RA4 at a second resolution lower than the first resolution.

[0176] According to this modified version, high-resolution advertising images AIh1-AIh4 and low-resolution advertising images AIl1-AIl4, which should be printed using different print settings (a setting to print at a first resolution and a setting to print at a second resolution), can be printed using separate main scans. For this reason, high-resolution advertising images AIh1-AIh4 and low-resolution advertising images AIl1-AIl4 can be printed using the appropriate print settings without changing the print settings during the main scan.

[0177] Furthermore, the print settings considered may also include other print settings, such as a print mode that prioritizes image quality and a print mode that tolerates a decrease in image quality to reduce ink consumption.

[0178] (2) In the above embodiment, system 1000 is a system that determines M advertising image AIs to be printed from N candidate images and prints a printable image containing the M advertising image AIs. System 1000 is not limited to this and may be a system that prints various images. For example, system 1000 may be a system that determines M distribution images that match the user's preferences from N candidate distribution images showing news, etc., and prints a printable image containing the M distribution images. In this case, for example, the advertising distribution server 300 acquires information indicating the relevant fields of the information (news, etc.) shown in the N distribution images as candidate information. The advertising distribution server 300 determines M distribution images from the N candidate images based on the similarity between the fields indicated by the candidate information and the fields of interest of the user that have been registered in advance. When generating a print image, the ad delivery server 300 should consider whether the M delivery images should be printed in monochrome mode or in color mode, and generate a print image with the M delivery images arranged in the same way as the print image generation process in the first embodiment.

[0179] (3) In each of the above embodiments, the range of transport direction SD of multiple advertising images AI contained in one row region RAi, for example, monochrome advertising image AIm1 and monochrome advertising image AIm2 contained in the first row region RA1 in Figure 7(B), completely overlaps. However, the range of transport direction SD of monochrome advertising image AIm1 and monochrome advertising image AIm2 may be different, and it is sufficient that at least a portion of the range of transport direction SD of monochrome advertising image AIm1 and monochrome advertising image AIm2 overlaps.

[0180] (4) In the above embodiments, the number of advertising image AIs M determined in the bidding process was set to 8, and the number of candidate images N was set to 14. However, these numbers are merely examples. Generally, it is preferable that the M advertising image AIs determined consist of three or more advertising image AIs (M≧3), including two advertising images printed using a first print setting (e.g., monochrome print mode) and one advertising image printed using a second print setting (e.g., color print mode). The number of candidate images N is preferably greater than M (N>M), and is preferably 4 or more.

[0181] Similarly, in the first embodiment described above, a 4x2 arrangement is shown as an example of the advertisement image AI in the printed image PI, which is Kx2 in number. This is just one example. The number of rows K and columns L can be changed as appropriate, and generally, the number of rows K and columns L can each be any integer greater than or equal to 2. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0182] (5) In the bidding process of the second embodiment described above (Figure 11), the number of monochrome and color advertising images M1 and M2 are determined to be even numbers (multiples of 2). This is because the number of advertising images (number of columns) L contained in one row area RAi in the print image PIb to be generated is 2 (L=2). This prevents monochrome and color advertising images from being mixed in one row area RAi. For example, if the number of advertising images (number of columns) L contained in one row area RAi is 3, the number of monochrome and color advertising images M1 and M2 are determined to be multiples of 3. If the number of advertising images (number of columns) L contained in one row area RAi is 4, the number of monochrome and color advertising images M1 and M2 are determined to be multiples of 4.

[0183] (6) In the bidding process of the third embodiment described above, eight advertising images AI to be printed are determined such that the number of monochrome advertising images and color advertising images M1 and M2 are multiples of 2 or 4, respectively. Alternatively, in the bidding process of the third embodiment, the advertising space sales department AS may determine the eight advertising images AI to be printed in descending order of advertising price, without considering whether the advertising images AI are monochrome or color, similar to the bidding process of the first embodiment (Figure 8).

[0184] In this case, the number of monochrome and color advertising images M1 and M2 among the 8 advertising images AI to be printed may be a multiple of 2 or a multiple of 4, or it may not be a multiple of 2 or a multiple of 4.

[0185] If the number of monochrome and color advertising images M1 and M2 are multiples of 2 or 4, the distribution control unit DC should execute the print image generation process shown in Figure 15 above to generate the print images.

[0186] When the transport direction SD is parallel to the long side of the paper P, and the number of monochrome and color advertising images M1 and M2 are not multiples of 2, the print image generation process of the first embodiment (Figure 9) can be executed to generate the print image.

[0187] When the transport direction SD is parallel to the short side of the paper P, if the number of monochrome and color advertising images M1 and M2 are not multiples of 4, then one of the numbers M1 and M2 will be between 5 and 7, and the other between 1 and 3. In this case, for example, the distribution control unit DC selects four advertising images from among the monochrome and color advertising images whose number is between 5 and 7, in descending order of advertising price. The distribution control unit DC then generates the printed image by placing the four selected advertising images AI (which include either monochrome or color advertising images) in the first row area RAb1 and the four unselected advertising images (which include both monochrome and color advertising images) in the second row area RAb2.

[0188] According to this modified example, whether the transport direction SD is parallel to the long side of the paper P or parallel to the short side of the paper P, a printed image can be generated such that the number of row areas containing both monochrome and color advertisement images is minimized (0 or 1), similar to the first embodiment.

[0189] (7) In the print image generation process of each of the above embodiments, the arrangement of M advertising image AIs is determined such that advertising image AIs with the highest possible advertising price are placed downstream of the transport direction SD. However, the advertising distribution server 300 may, for example, determine the arrangement of M advertising image AIs such that advertising image AIs with the highest possible advertising price are placed above the user when they observe the print image PI. The advertising distribution server 300 may also determine the position of the transport direction SD where the advertising image AIs are placed randomly, without considering the advertising price.

[0190] (8) In each of the above embodiments, the ad delivery server 300 receives data of multiple candidate images (ad image AI) from the bidding server 400. However, the data of multiple candidate images may also be received from other servers, for example, a server owned by the advertiser or a storage server used by the advertiser. In this case, a URL that points to the other server storing the data of multiple candidate images is used as the ad image URL.

[0191] (9) In each of the above embodiments, the ad distribution server 300 determines the ad image to be printed and then sends a print instruction for the ad image to the remote print server 200 (S34 in Figure 5). Alternatively, the ad distribution server 300 may generate a print job itself and send the print job directly to the printer 500. Also, if the printer 500 is configured to print using image data in a predetermined format (for example, PDF format) upon receiving such image data, the ad distribution server 300 may simply send the ad image data in the predetermined format to the printer 500.

[0192] (10) In each of the above embodiments, the advertising distribution service is realized through the cooperation of four types of servers 100-400. The configuration of the servers that provide the advertising distribution service can be in various configurations. For example, the distribution control unit DC and the advertising space sales unit AS of the advertising distribution server 300 may be on separate servers. Similarly, the bidding control unit BC and the consumer information management unit CM of the bidding server 400 may be on separate servers. In addition, the advertising distribution server 300 and one of the bidding servers 400A-400C may be configured as a single server.

[0193] Furthermore, the processes performed by the management server 100, the remote printing server 200, and the advertising distribution server 300 may be performed by a single server. Alternatively, the processes performed by any two of the servers among the management server 100, the remote printing server 200, and the advertising distribution server 300 may be performed by a single server.

[0194] (11) In the above embodiment, some of the configurations implemented by hardware may be replaced with software, and conversely, some or all of the configurations implemented by software may be replaced with hardware.

[0195] Furthermore, if some or all of the functions of the present invention are implemented by a computer program, the program may be provided in the form of a computer-readable recording medium (for example, a non-temporary recording medium). The program may be used while stored on the same or a different recording medium (computer-readable recording medium) as it was provided. "Computer-readable recording medium" is not limited to portable recording media such as memory cards and CD-ROMs, but may also include internal storage devices within a computer such as various ROMs, and external storage devices connected to a computer such as hard disk drives.

[0196] The present invention has been described above based on examples and modifications. However, the embodiments of the invention described above are for the purpose of facilitating understanding of the present invention and do not limit it. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit and claims, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0197] 1000…System, 100…Management Server, 110…CPU, 120…Volatile Memory Device, 130…Non-Volatile Memory Device, 180…Communication Interface, 200…Remote Printing Server, 210…CPU, 220…Volatile Memory Device, 230…Non-Volatile Memory Device, 280…Communication Interface, 300…Ad Delivery Server, 310…CPU, 320…Volatile Memory Device, 330…Non-Volatile Memory Device, 380…Communication Interface, 400A-400C…Bidding Server, 410…CPU, 420…Volatile Memory Device, 430…Non-Volatile Memory Device, 480…Communication Interface, 500…Printer 510…CPU, 520…Volatile memory, 530…Non-volatile memory, 540…Display unit, 550…Operation unit, 580…Communication IF, 600…Printing mechanism, 610…Print head, 620…Head drive unit, 630…Main scanning unit, 640…Transport unit, AI…Advertising image, AS…Advertising space sales unit, BC…Bidding control unit, CM…Consumer information management unit, DBa, DBb, DBm, DBp, DBr…Database, DC…Distribution control unit, IT…Internet, PGa, PGb, PGm, PGp, PGr…Computer program, PI, PIb, PIc…Print image

Claims

1. A printing system comprising a printing device and a server connected to the printing device, The aforementioned printing apparatus, A print head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink, wherein the positions of the plurality of nozzles in the sub-scanning direction are different from each other, A main scanning unit that performs a main scan by moving the print head along a main scanning direction intersecting the sub-scanning direction with respect to the material to be printed, A sub-scanning unit that performs a sub-scan to move the object to be printed along the sub-scanning direction relative to the print head, Equipped with, The aforementioned server, An information acquisition unit that acquires N candidate information items for N candidate images (where N is an integer of 4 or more) from an external device, An image determination unit that uses the aforementioned N candidate information to determine M target images (where M is an integer satisfying N > M ≥ 3) to be printed from among the N candidate images, An image acquisition unit that acquires M determined target images, wherein the M target images include a first image and a second image to be printed using a first print setting, and a third image to be printed using a second print setting different from the first print setting, An image generation unit that generates a print image containing the M target images, wherein the M target images are arranged within the print image such that at least a portion of the range in the sub-scanning direction where the first image to be printed using the first print setting is located and the range in the sub-scanning direction where the second image to be printed using the first print setting is located overlap, and the range in the sub-scanning direction where the third image to be printed using the second print setting is located does not overlap with the range in the sub-scanning direction where the first image and the second image to be printed using the first print setting are located. Equipped with, The printing apparatus further comprises a control unit that prints the print image on a single substrate by performing partial printing, in which ink is ejected from the print head while performing the main scan, and the sub-scan multiple times, wherein the control unit prints the first image and the second image of the print image using the first print setting, and prints the third image of the print image using the second print setting.

2. A printing system according to claim 1, The image determination unit is a printing system that determines M target images from among the N candidate images without using setting information indicating print settings to be used for printing the N candidate images.

3. A printing system according to claim 2, The printed image is a unit region of K rows and L columns comprising a region of K rows (K is an integer of 2 or more) where the ranges in the sub-scanning direction do not overlap with each other, and a region of L columns (L is an integer of 2 or more) where the ranges in the main scanning direction do not overlap with each other, and includes the unit region of K rows and L columns where the M target images are arranged one by one. The number M of target images determined by the image determination unit is (K × L) images. A printing system in which the (K × L) target images are arranged in a unit area of ​​K rows and L columns such that the number of rows containing both the target images to be printed using the first print setting and the target images to be printed using the second print setting is minimized.

4. A printing system according to claim 1, The information acquisition unit includes setting information indicating the print settings to be used for printing the N candidate images. The image determination unit is a printing system that uses the setting information to determine M target images from among the N candidate images.

5. A printing system according to claim 4, The printed image is a unit region of K rows and L columns comprising a region of K rows (K is an integer of 2 or more) where the ranges in the sub-scanning direction do not overlap with each other, and a region of L columns (L is an integer of 2 or more) where the ranges in the main scanning direction do not overlap with each other, and includes the unit region of K rows and L columns where the M target images are arranged one by one. The number M of target images determined by the image determination unit is (K × L) images. The image determination unit determines the (K × L) target images such that the number of target images M1 to be printed using the first print setting is a multiple of L, and the number of target images M2 to be printed using the first print setting is a multiple of L.

6. A printing system according to claim 1, The aforementioned image is an advertisement image to be printed. The candidate information includes price information indicating the advertising price, which is the fee for printing the candidate image as the advertising image. The image determination unit prioritizes selecting candidate images with high advertising prices, as indicated in the price information, as the advertising image. The M advertising images are arranged in the printed image in multiple rows where the ranges in the sub-scanning direction do not overlap with each other. A printing system in which M of the aforementioned advertising images are arranged such that the advertising price of the advertising image placed in the first row area is higher than the advertising price of the advertising image placed in the second row area, which is located upstream of the first row area in the sub-scanning direction.

7. A printing system according to claim 6, Multiple advertisement images are arranged in the area of ​​the first row. Multiple advertisement images are arranged in the area of ​​the second row. A printing system in which M advertising images are arranged such that the sum of the advertising prices of the multiple advertising images placed in the first row area is higher than the sum of the advertising prices of the multiple advertising images placed in the second row area.

8. A printing system according to claim 1, The printed material is a rectangular sheet of paper having a long side and a short side. The aforementioned server further, The unit includes a paper information acquisition unit that acquires paper orientation information indicating whether the sub-scanning direction when the print image is printed is parallel to the long side or parallel to the short side of the paper. When the sub-scanning direction for printing the target image is parallel to the long side of the paper, the M target images are arranged in the printed image such that at least a portion of the area in the direction parallel to the long side where the first image is located and the area in the direction parallel to the long side where the second image is located overlap, and the area in the direction parallel to the long side where the third image is located does not overlap with the area in the direction parallel to the long side where the first and second images are located. A printing system in which, when the sub-scanning direction for printing the target image is parallel to the short side of the paper, the M target images are arranged in the printed image such that at least a portion of the range in the direction parallel to the short side where the first image is located and the range in the direction parallel to the short side where the second image is located overlap, and the range in the direction parallel to the short side where the third image is located does not overlap with the range in the direction parallel to the short side where the first and second images are located.

9. A printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The first print setting is a setting where the print resolution is a first resolution. A printing system in which the second print setting is a setting in which the print resolution is a second resolution different from the first resolution.

10. A printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The first print setting is a setting that prints using achromatic ink without using chromatic ink. The second print setting is a printing system that uses two or more chromatic inks for printing.

11. A server connected to a printing device, The aforementioned printing apparatus, A print head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink, wherein the positions of the plurality of nozzles in the sub-scanning direction are different from each other, A main scanning unit that performs a main scan by moving the print head along a main scanning direction intersecting the sub-scanning direction with respect to the material to be printed, A sub-scanning unit that performs a sub-scan to move the object to be printed along the sub-scanning direction relative to the print head, Equipped with, The aforementioned printing apparatus is a device that prints an image by performing partial printing, in which ink is ejected from the print head while the main scan is performed, and the sub-scan multiple times. The aforementioned server, An information acquisition unit that acquires N candidate information for N candidate images from an external device, An image determination unit that uses the aforementioned N candidate information to determine M target images to be printed from among the N candidate images (where N is an integer of 4 or greater), where M is an integer satisfying N > M ≥ 3. An image acquisition unit that acquires M determined target images, wherein the M target images include a first image and a second image to be printed using a first print setting, and a third image to be printed using a second print setting, An image generation unit for generating a print image containing the M target images, wherein the M target images are arranged within the print image such that at least a portion of the range in the sub-scanning direction where the first image is located and the range in the sub-scanning direction where the second image is located overlap, and the range in the sub-scanning direction where the third image is located does not overlap with the range in the sub-scanning direction where the first image and the second image are located. A print control unit that causes a printing device to print the print image on a single substrate, wherein the first and second images of the print image are printed using the first print setting, and the third image of the print image is printed using the second print setting, A server equipped with the following features.

12. A printing method that uses a printing device to perform printing, The aforementioned printing apparatus, A print head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink, wherein the positions of the plurality of nozzles in the sub-scanning direction are different from each other, A main scanning unit that performs a main scan by moving the print head along a main scanning direction intersecting the sub-scanning direction with respect to the material to be printed, A sub-scanning unit that performs a sub-scan to move the object to be printed along the sub-scanning direction relative to the print head, Equipped with, The aforementioned printing apparatus is a device that prints an image by performing partial printing, in which ink is ejected from the print head while the main scan is performed, and the sub-scan multiple times. The aforementioned printing method is An information acquisition process in which N candidate information is obtained from an external device for N candidate images, An image determination step in which, using the aforementioned N candidate information, M target images to be printed (M being an integer satisfying N > M ≥ 3) are determined from among the N candidate images (N being an integer of 4 or greater), An image acquisition step for acquiring M determined target images, wherein the M target images include a first image and a second image to be printed using a first print setting, and a third image to be printed using a second print setting, An image generation step for generating a print image containing the M target images, wherein the M target images are arranged in the print image such that at least a portion of the range in the sub-scanning direction where the first image is located and the range in the sub-scanning direction where the second image is located overlap, and the range in the sub-scanning direction where the third image is located does not overlap with the range in the sub-scanning direction where the first image and the second image are located. A printing process for printing the print image onto a single substrate using the printing apparatus, wherein the first image and the second image of the print image are printed using the first print setting, and the third image of the print image is printed using the second print setting; A printing method comprising the following features.

13. A computer program for a server connected to a printing device, The aforementioned printing apparatus, A print head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink, wherein the positions of the plurality of nozzles in the sub-scanning direction are different from each other, A main scanning unit that performs a main scan by moving the print head along a main scanning direction intersecting the sub-scanning direction with respect to the material to be printed, A sub-scanning unit that performs a sub-scan to move the object to be printed along the sub-scanning direction relative to the print head, Equipped with, The aforementioned printing apparatus is a device that prints an image by performing partial printing, in which ink is ejected from the print head while the main scan is performed, and the sub-scan multiple times. The aforementioned computer program, An information acquisition function that acquires N candidate information for N candidate images from an external device, An image determination function that uses the aforementioned N candidate information to determine M target images to be printed from among the N candidate images (where N is an integer greater than or equal to 4) (where M is an integer satisfying N > M ≥ 3), An image acquisition function that acquires M determined target images, wherein the M target images include a first image and a second image to be printed using a first print setting, and a third image to be printed using a second print setting, An image generation function for generating a print image containing the M target images, wherein the M target images are arranged within the print image such that at least a portion of the range in the sub-scanning direction where the first image is located and the range in the sub-scanning direction where the second image is located overlap, and the range in the sub-scanning direction where the third image is located does not overlap with the range in the sub-scanning direction where the first and second images are located. A print control function that causes a printing device to print the print image onto a single substrate, wherein the first and second images of the print image are printed using the first print setting, and the third image of the print image is printed using the second print setting, A computer program that enables a computer to realize something.

Images