Information Processing System, Information Processing Program, and Ordering and Delivery System for Articles

Abstract

To prevent inconsistency in information of a requested article between an order reception site and each manufacturer.SOLUTION: Either one of an order processing device 10 and a print management device 20 uses a conversion rule 14 that defines a correspondence between order information of an article and print information uniquely used by each printing firm, and converts order information of a printed matter into print information used by a printing firm that prints the printed matter.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to information processing System , an information processing program, and an order receiving and issuing system for articles.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a printed matter production system having an order receiving server for managing order receiving information of printed matter and a print management server for managing print jobs related to the production of the printed matter. The order receiving server includes a transmission processing unit that transmits an electronic work instruction including the order receiving information to the print management server. The print management server includes an item classification unit that classifies a plurality of items for specifying the execution content of the print job into a specifiable item uniquely determined by the electronic work instruction transmitted from the transmission processing unit and a non-specifiable item not uniquely determined, and a job information creation unit that creates job information for describing the print job by determining the content of one or more of the non-specifiable items classified by the item classification unit according to a guideline, and a job information database that stores the job information created by the job information creation unit in association with the management identification number of the print job.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent years, an order receiving and issuing system for articles has been starting to be used, in which a request for manufacturing an article is received from a customer through an order receiving site, one of a plurality of manufacturers registered in advance in the order receiving site is selected, and the selected manufacturer is requested to manufacture the article ordered at the order receiving site.

[0005] Since multiple manufacturers registered on the order receiving site each independently manufacture goods, they recognize the same matter in different expressions specific to each manufacturer and manufacture the goods using different manufacturing processes and different manufacturing facilities. On the other hand, on the order receiving site, order information is generated using the expressions used on the order receiving site.

[0006] Therefore, when a manufacturer receives order information for goods ordered from a customer on the order receiving site, if the order information contains an expression different from the expression used by that manufacturer, situations such as misunderstandings or unclear instruction contents represented by the order information may occur.

[0007] However, it is not practical to standardize, for example, the expressions of information used in the manufacture of goods, the manufacturing processes of goods, and the manufacturing facilities used among multiple manufacturers registered on the order receiving site.

[0008] The present invention provides information processing, an information processing program, and an order receiving and dispatching system for goods, which, when entrusting the manufacture of goods ordered through an order receiving site to any of a plurality of manufacturers, prevent inconsistencies from occurring regarding the information on the entrusted goods between the order receiving site and each manufacturer, even when the information used on the order receiving site and the information used by each manufacturer differ for items necessary for the manufacture of the goods. System The purpose is to provide an information processing program and an order receiving and dispatching system for goods.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The information processing apparatus according to the first aspect includes a processor, and the processor uses a conversion rule that defines the association between the order information of goods and the manufacturing information used by each of a plurality of manufacturers that manufacture the goods according to the order information of the goods, and converts the order information into the manufacturing information used by the designated manufacturer that entrusts the manufacture of the goods.

[0010] The information processing apparatus according to the second aspect is the information processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the conversion rule includes, for each manufacturer, an association between the items of the order information and the manufacturing information of the article in the same items as the items of the order information, and the processor uses the conversion rule to convert the content of the items of the order information into the manufacturing information used by the designated manufacturer associated with the items of the order information.

[0011] The information processing apparatus according to the third aspect is the information processing apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the processor converts the set content in the items of the order information into the manufacturing information used by the designated manufacturer associated with the same items as the items of the order information.

[0012] The information processing apparatus according to the fourth aspect is the information processing apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the processor performs a conversion to set the manufacturing information used by the designated manufacturer associated with the same items as the items of the order information for the items of the order information whose content is not set.

[0013] The information processing apparatus according to the fifth aspect is the information processing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein, in the conversion rule, when the items of the order information whose content is set are associated with the items of the order information whose content is not set, the processor performs a conversion to set the manufacturing information used by the designated manufacturer associated with the items of the order information whose content is set for the items of the order information whose content is not set.

[0014] The information processing apparatus according to the sixth aspect is the information processing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein, in the conversion rule, a plurality of items of the order information whose content is set are associated with the items of the order information whose content is not set.

[0015] The information processing apparatus according to the seventh aspect is the information processing apparatus according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects, wherein the content of the items of the manufacturing information is related to at least one of the manufacturing process representing the difference in the manufacturing method of the article and the manufacturing equipment.

[0016] The information processing apparatus according to the eighth aspect is the information processing apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the article to be manufactured according to the order information is a printed matter.

[0017] The information processing program according to the ninth aspect is a program for causing a computer to execute a process of converting the order information into the manufacturing information used by a designated manufacturer that requests the manufacturing of the article, using a conversion rule that defines an association between the order information of the article and the manufacturing information used by each of a plurality of manufacturers that manufacture the article according to the order information of the article.

[0018] The order receiving and dispatching system for articles according to the tenth aspect includes an order receiving processing apparatus that functions as the information processing apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, and a plurality of manufacturing management apparatuses installed for each of a plurality of manufacturers that manufacture articles according to the order information received by the order receiving processing apparatus, for performing manufacturing management of the articles. The order receiving processing apparatus uses a conversion rule that defines an association between the order information of the article and the manufacturing information used by each of the plurality of manufacturers, and transmits the converted order information obtained by converting the order information into the manufacturing information used by a designated manufacturer that requests the manufacturing of the article to the manufacturing management apparatus used by the designated manufacturer.

[0019] The order receiving and dispatching system for articles according to the eleventh aspect is the order receiving and dispatching system for articles according to the tenth aspect, wherein the order receiving processing apparatus converts the manufacturing information used by each of the plurality of manufacturers corresponding to the same item of the order information into a common expression used in the order information using the conversion rule, and then displays it on the order receiving screen of the article.

[0020] The order receiving and issuing system for articles according to the 12th aspect includes a plurality of manufacturing management devices that function as information processing devices according to any one of the 1st to 8th aspects for performing manufacturing management of the articles, installed for each of a plurality of manufacturers that manufacture articles according to order information, and an order receiving processing device that receives the order information. The manufacturing management device converts the order information transmitted from the order receiving processing device into manufacturing information using a conversion rule that defines the association between the order information and manufacturing information used by its own manufacturer in manufacturing the articles.

Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the 1st, 9th, 10th, and 12th aspects, when entrusting the manufacturing of articles ordered through an order receiving site to any of a plurality of manufacturers, even if the information used at the order receiving site and the information used by each manufacturer are different for the items necessary for manufacturing the articles, it is possible to prevent inconsistencies from occurring regarding the information on the ordered articles between the order receiving site and each manufacturer.

[0022] According to the 2nd aspect, the designated manufacturer that has received an order for manufacturing an article can manufacture the article according to the order information in accordance with the manufacturing status of its own company.

[0023] According to the 3rd aspect, it is possible to manufacture an article without rephrasing the content set in the order information into the expression used in its own company.

[0024] According to the 4th aspect, the designated manufacturer can manufacture the article by referring to the order information including manufacturing information used only by the designated manufacturer and not involved on the order receiving site side.

[0025] According to the 5th aspect, it is possible to complement the items of the order information for which no content has been set based on the content set in the pre-specified items of the order information.

[0026] According to the sixth aspect, there is an effect that items of order information for which content setting has not been performed can be complemented based on the content set in a plurality of preset items of the order information.

[0027] According to the seventh aspect, there is an effect that order information can include not only content related to the specifications of an article but also at least one of content related to a manufacturing process for manufacturing the article and content related to manufacturing equipment used in manufacturing the article.

[0028] According to the eighth aspect, there is an effect that a printed matter for which an order has been placed can be requested from a printer capable of printing the printed matter that satisfies the order information among a plurality of printers.

[0029] According to the eleventh aspect, there is an effect that an orderer who orders the manufacture of an article through an order receiving site can order the article in accordance with the expression of order information used at the order receiving site without using the expression individually used by the manufacturer.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0030]

Figure 1

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0031] Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The same components and the same processes are given the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an order receiving and shipping system 1 for articles according to this embodiment. The articles handled by the order receiving and shipping system 1 are not restricted in type as long as they are articles for which manufacturing starts after receiving an order. Therefore, for example, the order receiving and shipping system 1 may receive an order for parts required for manufacturing some product, but hereinafter, an example of receiving an order for a printed matter such as a book or a pamphlet and performing printing by a printing company will be used to explain the order receiving and shipping system 1.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, the order receiving and shipping system 1 includes an order processing device 10, and print management devices 20 and printing facilities 22 installed for each printing company. The order processing device 10 and the print management device 20 for each printing company are connected by a communication line 2.

[0034] The order receiving and shipping system 1 is a system that receives information related to the printing of a printed matter (hereinafter referred to as "order information") input at a site (hereinafter referred to as the "order site") that receives order printing by the order processing device 10, the order processing device 10 transmits the order information to any one of a plurality of printing companies registered in the order receiving and shipping system 1 in advance, and the printing company that has received the order information prints the printed matter ordered by the customer.

[0035] When the order processing device 10 receives order information from an order site, it selects a printing company (hereinafter referred to as the "designated printing company") that requests printing of printed materials based on the content of the order information, and transmits the order information to the printing management device 20 of the designated printing company.

[0036] The order processing device 10 includes a conversion rule DB 12, and a conversion rule 14 is stored in the conversion rule DB 12. "DB" is an abbreviation for Database, which provides data management functions such as data storage, updating of data contained therein, and deletion of data.

[0037] The conversion rule 14 is conversion information for converting the content of the order information according to the actual situation of users who use each device that uses the order information, such as the order processing device 10 and the printing management device 20, so that processing based on the order information can be easily performed in each device. Therefore, the conversion rule 14 defines the association between the order information of the printed materials and the printing information used by each of the plurality of printing companies that print the printed materials according to the order information of the printed materials.

[0038] Printing information is unique information used by a printing company in its own company during the process of printing printed materials. The printing information includes information widely used among other printing companies and customers who order printed materials in defining the specifications of the printed materials, but also includes information used only within an individual printing company, that is, information unique to the printing company.

[0039] The order processing device 10 uses the conversion rule 14 to convert the order information received from the order site into printing information used by the designated printing company, and transmits it to the printing management device 20 of the designated printing company through the communication line 2. Note that the printing information is an example of manufacturing information used by a manufacturer during the process of manufacturing an article.

[0040] The printing management device 20 is an example of a production management device that controls a printing facility 22 to print printed materials according to the order information and manufactures and manages the printed materials. The printing management device 20 and the printing facility 22 are connected, for example, via the in-house LAN (Local Area Network) of a printing company.

[0041] The printing facility 22 includes, for example, a printing machine that prints on paper, a folding machine that folds the paper into a specified size, a binding machine that binds the paper to make a book, a cutting machine that cuts unnecessary parts of the paper, and a conveyor that conveys the printed materials.

[0042] In FIG. 1, an example is shown in which two printing companies, printing company A and printing company B, are registered in the order receiving and issuing system 1. However, there is no restriction on the number of printing companies registered in the order receiving and issuing system 1, and a plurality of three or more printing companies may be registered. For the sake of convenience of explanation, an example in which two printing companies, printing company A and printing company B, are registered in the order receiving and issuing system 1 will be described.

[0043] Also, there is no restriction on the type of communication line 2 connecting the order receiving processing device 10 and the printing management device 20. For example, the Internet or a VPN is used. The communication line 2 may be wired or wireless.

[0044] Note that the order receiving processing device 10 and the printing management device 20 are also examples of information processing devices according to the present embodiment. Also, a printing company is an example of a manufacturing company that manufactures an article called a printed material, and a designated printing company is an example of a designated manufacturing company that actually manufactures an article according to the order information.

[0045] Such an order receiving processing device 10 and printing management device 20 are configured using a computer.

[0046] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the main configuration of the electrical system in the order receiving processing device 10 and the printing management device 20. The order receiving processing device 10 is configured using, for example, a computer 30, and the printing management device 20 is configured using, for example, a computer 40.

[0047] The computer 30 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31 responsible for the processing of the order receiving processing device 10, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32 that stores information processing programs, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 33 used as a temporary working area for the CPU 31, a non-volatile memory 34, and an input / output interface (I / O) 35. The CPU 31, ROM 32, RAM 33, non-volatile memory 34, and I / O 35 are each connected via a bus 36.

[0048] The non-volatile memory 34 is an example of a storage device that maintains the stored information even when the power supplied to the non-volatile memory 34 is cut off. For example, a semiconductor memory is used, but a hard disk may also be used. The non-volatile memory 34 does not necessarily have to be built into the computer 30 and may be a storage device that can be attached to and detached from the computer 30, such as a memory card. For example, a conversion rule DB12 is constructed in the non-volatile memory 34, and the conversion rule 14 is stored.

[0049] Connected to the I / O 35 are, for example, a communication unit 37, an input unit 38, and a display unit 39.

[0050] The communication unit 37 is connected to the communication line 2 and has a communication protocol for communicating with the printing management devices 20 of each printer and external devices (not shown).

[0051] The input unit 38 is a device that receives instructions from an operator and notifies the CPU 31. For example, buttons, touch panels, keyboards, pointing devices, and mice are used.

[0052] The display unit 39 is a device that outputs the information processed by the CPU 31. For example, display devices such as liquid crystal displays, organic EL (Electro Luminescence) displays, and projectors that project images onto a screen are used.

[0053] The computer 40 that constitutes the printing management device 20 also includes a CPU 41, a ROM 42, a RAM 43, a non-volatile memory 44, and an I / O 45, just like the computer 30. The CPU 41, ROM 42, RAM 43, non-volatile memory 44, and I / O 45 are each connected via a bus 46. In addition, for example, a communication unit 47, an input unit 48, and a display unit 49 are connected to the I / O 45.

[0054] The communication unit 47 is connected to the communication line 2 and has a communication protocol for communicating with the order receiving processing device 10 and an external device (not shown).

[0055] The input unit 48 is a device that receives instructions from an operator and notifies the CPU 41. For example, buttons, a touch panel, a keyboard, a pointing device, and a mouse are used.

[0056] The display unit 49 is a device that outputs the information processed by the CPU 41. For example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and a projector that projects an image onto a screen is used.

[0057] Note that in the computers 30 and 40, the input units 38, 48 and the display units 39, 49 are not necessarily essential units and may be removed according to the usage situation.

[0058] Next, the processing of the order receiving and dispatching system 1 centered on the conversion operation of order receiving information using the conversion rule 14 will be described.

[0059] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the registration process of the conversion rule 14 that is executed at least once in cooperation between the CPU 31 of the order receiving processing device 10 and the CPU 41 of the printing management device 20 before starting to receive an order for printed matter at the order receiving site when a printing company is registered in the order receiving and dispatching system 1.

[0060] The information processing program that defines the registration process is stored in advance in, for example, the ROM 32 of the order receiving device 10 and the ROM 42 of the print management device 20. The CPU 31 of the order receiving device 10 reads the information processing program stored in the ROM 32 and executes the registration process. Also, the CPU 41 of the print management device 20 reads the information processing program stored in the ROM 42 and executes the registration process.

[0061] Here, as an example, an example of registering print information used by printing company A in the order receiving and issuing system 1 will be described. However, for other printing companies registered in the order receiving and issuing system 1, the registration process shown in FIG. 3 is performed respectively.

[0062] First, in step S10, the CPU 41 of the print management device 20 receives the conversion rule 14 that associates the items of order receiving information with the print information from the printing company. The input of the conversion rule 14 to the print management device 20 is performed, for example, by associating the items of order receiving information with the print information through the registration screens 24A, 24B, 24C, and 24D displayed on the display unit 49.

[0063] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the registration screen 24A. The registration screen 24A is a screen for registering the administrative matters within printing company A when printing company A becomes the designated printing company for the printed matter ordered by the customer.

[0064] For example, in the "Order Receiving Department", register the department responsible for printing the ordered printed matter, in the "Order Receiver", register the name of the person in charge who is the contact window for various inquiries regarding the ordered printed matter, and in the "Order Receiver ID", register an identification number such as an employee number for identifying the person in charge. Also, in the "Delivery Company Name", register the name of the delivery company responsible for delivering the printed matter after printing, and in the "Delivery Company ID", register an identification number for identifying the delivery company. Note that ID is an abbreviation of "Identifier" which means an identifier.

[0065] Since the administrative matters within Printer A that are registered on the registration screen 24A are information unnecessary for customers to order printed materials, they are not displayed on the order reception site.

[0066] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the registration screen 24B. The registration screen 24B is a screen for registering print information corresponding to the specifications of printed materials specified by customers on the order reception site.

[0067] For example, a customer specifies the paper they want to use for the ordered printed materials by selecting a paper ID corresponding to each of different types of paper. In this case, the paper ID used on the order reception site may be different from the paper ID used by Printer A for that paper. Therefore, Printer A associates the paper ID used within Printer A with the paper ID used on the order reception site through the registration screen 24B.

[0068] The specifications of the printed materials specified by the customer on the order reception site are reflected in the order reception information. That is, the items of the order reception information include items subject to the specification of the printed materials by the customer, such as "paper ID", and the information specified by the customer for the items subject to specification is set as the content of the order reception information, such as "001". In contrast, in the example of the registration screen 24B in Figure 5, the paper ID "003" used within Printer A is associated.

[0069] Similarly, for other items of the order reception information in which the specifications specified by the customer on the order reception site are reflected, such as "finishing standard ID", the content set in the order reception information is associated with the print information used within Printer A through the registration screen 24B. The "finishing standard ID" is an identification number for specifying the processing and finishing of printed materials.

[0070] Note that on the registration screen 24B, not only the case where the content set in the order information is different from the printing information used within Printer A, but also the association in the same case is performed. For example, on the order site, "offset printing" can be specified as the printing process desired by the customer, and if Printer A also refers to the printing as "offset printing" internally, "offset printing" is entered in the field for entering the printer's printing information for the "printing process" on the registration screen 24B.

[0071] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the registration screen 24C. The registration screen 24C is a screen for associating the printing information used within Printer A with the items of the order information that reflect the specifications designated by the customer on the order site.

[0072] For example, assume that in Printer A, the binding type of the printed matter is uniquely determined by the combination of "number of orders", "finishing standard ID", and "paper ID". In this case, in Printer A, by referring to the contents of each item of "number of orders", "finishing standard ID", and "paper ID" set in the order information, the binding type of the ordered printed matter can be specified. However, if a binding type ID representing the binding type is preset in the order information, it is possible to save the trouble of specifying the binding type of the printed matter from the contents of each item of "number of orders", "finishing standard ID", and "paper ID", and it is less likely to make mistakes than when manually specifying the binding type of the printed matter from the contents of each item of "number of orders", "finishing standard ID", and "paper ID".

[0073] Therefore, a item named "binding type ID" is provided in the order information in advance, and the contents of each item of the order information of "number of orders", "finishing standard ID", and "paper ID" are associated with the content of the "binding type ID". In the example shown in FIG. 6, when an order for a printed matter with the item of "number of orders" being "100 - 499", the item of "finishing standard ID" being "300 - 400", and the item of "paper ID" being "003" is received, the content of "001" is associated with the item of "binding type ID" included in the order information.

[0074] For each face-attaching type ID used by Printer A in this way, associate the items of the order information at the reference destination with the content of each order information at the reference destination on the registration screen 24C.

[0075] The items of order information represented by the item name column on the registration screen 24C are items that are not displayed on the order site because they are information unnecessary for the customer to order printed materials. Therefore, the customer does not set the content thereof.

[0076] In the example of the registration screen 24C shown in FIG. 6, three items of order information, namely, "quantity ordered", "finishing standard ID", and "paper ID", are associated with the face-attaching type ID. However, there is no restriction on the number of items of order information to be associated with the items of order information represented by the item name column on the registration screen 24C. One or more items of order information can be associated with the items of order information represented by the item name column on the registration screen 24C. Naturally, Printer A can associate, on the registration screen 24C, the items of order information whose content is set by the customer with other items of order information other than the face-attaching type ID used within Printer A.

[0077] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the registration screen 24D. The registration screen 24D is a screen for associating the printing equipment 22 that will be used by Printer A when the content is specified for each content in the items of order information at the reference destination.

[0078] In the case of the example of the registration screen 24D shown in FIG. 7, when the content of the "printing process" item in the order information is "offset printing", printer A performs printing of the printed matter ordered using "Printer No. 1", and when the content of the "printing process" item in the order information is "letterpress printing", it is associated with performing printing of the printed matter ordered using "Printer No. 2". Also, when the content of the "processing process" item in the order information is "wire stitching", printer A performs processing of the printed matter ordered using "Folder A" and "Stitching Machine C", and when the content of the "processing process" item in the order information is "flat stitching", it is associated with performing processing of the printed matter ordered using "Folder B" and "Stitching Machine A".

[0079] Also, by setting the item of the order information in the destination order information column, the content set in the printing equipment column of the printer is associated with the item of the order information set in the destination order information column. That is, in the case of the example of the registration screen 24D shown in FIG. 7, "Printer No. 1" or "Printer No. 2" is associated with the "printing equipment" item in the order information, and a combination of "Folder A" and "Stitching Machine C", or a combination of "Folder B" and "Stitching Machine A" is associated with the "processing equipment" item in the order information.

[0080] The items of the order information set in the destination order information column of the registration screen 24D are items that are not displayed on the order site because they are information unnecessary for the customer to order the printed matter. Therefore, the customer does not set the content either.

[0081] In this way, in addition to the items associated with print attribute information, which is information regarding the characteristics of the printed matter or information regarding the management of the printed matter, such as "order taker", "paper ID", and "facing type ID", in the order information, printing process information, which is information regarding the printing method of the printed matter or information regarding the printing equipment 22 used for printing, such as "printing process", "processing process", "printing equipment", and "processing equipment", is associated. Note that the printing process is an example of a manufacturing process representing a difference in the manufacturing method of an article, and the printing equipment 22 is an example of manufacturing equipment used for manufacturing an article.

[0082] The registration screens 24A to 24D shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 are examples, and there are no restrictions on the screen configuration and input method as long as the items of order receiving information can be associated with the printing information of the printing company.

[0083] When the conversion rule 14 is received through the registration screens 24A to 24D in step S10 of FIG. 3, in step S20, the CPU 41 of the print management device 20 transmits the conversion rule 14 received in step S10 to the order receiving processing device 10, and ends the registration process on the print management device 20 side shown in FIG. 3.

[0084] On the other hand, in step S30, the CPU 31 of the order receiving processing device 10 performs a process of determining whether or not the conversion rule 14 has been received from the print management device 20. If the conversion rule 14 has not been received, the determination process in step S30 is repeatedly executed until the conversion rule 14 is received from the print management device 20. When the conversion rule 14 is received from the print management device 20, the process proceeds to step S40.

[0085] In step S40, the CPU 31 stores the conversion rule 14 received from the print management device 20 in the conversion rule DB 12, and ends the registration process on the order receiving processing device 10 side shown in FIG. 3.

[0086] FIGS. 8 and 9 are diagrams showing an example of the conversion rule 14 stored in the conversion rule DB 12. In the conversion rule DB 12, the conversion rule 14 is composed of, for example, a first conversion rule 14A and a second conversion rule 14B. In FIGS. 8 and 9, the symbol "-" within the frame indicates that no information is set in that frame.

[0087] The first conversion rule 14A is a conversion rule 14 in which the items of order receiving information are associated with the printing information of each printing company on a one-to-one basis. Among the items of order receiving information in the first conversion rule 14A, for example, items such as "number of ordered copies" for which the customer can freely specify the content are not associated with the printing information because the content is not determined until an order is received from the customer.

[0088] Among the order information, items representing internal administrative matters of the printing company, such as the "order handling department" which are registered on the registration screen 24A in FIG. 4, are not displayed on the order site, so customers do not specify them. Therefore, no content is set for the items of the order information related to the internal administrative matters of the printing company.

[0089] Also, among the order information, items related to the printing equipment 22 used by the printing company, such as "printing equipment" and "processing equipment" which are registered on the registration screen 24D in FIG. 7, are not displayed on the order site, so customers do not specify them. Therefore, no content is set for the items of the order information related to the printing equipment 22.

[0090] Furthermore, among the order information, items whose content is set based on the content of other order information, such as the "lamination type ID" which is registered on the registration screen 24C in FIG. 6, are not displayed on the order site, so customers do not specify them. Therefore, no content is set for the items of the order information whose content is set based on the content of other order information.

[0091] Note that items of the order information related to the printing equipment 22 (for example, items in the set destination order information column on the registration screen 24D in FIG. 7), and items of the order information whose content is set based on the content of other order information (for example, items set in the item name column on the registration screen 24C in FIG. 6), items of the order information whose content is determined by the content in the items of the reference destination order information are called "secondary items" of the order information.

[0092] The second conversion rule 14B shown in FIG. 9 is a conversion rule 14 that associates, for each printing company, the content to be set for the secondary items of the order information based on the items of the reference destination order information and their content. That is, the second conversion rule 14B is a conversion rule 14 that summarizes, for each printing company, the conversion rule 14 registered through the registration screen 24C in FIG. 6 and the conversion rule 14 registered through the registration screen 24D in FIG. 7.

[0093] By the process of step S40 in FIG. 3, the conversion rule DB12 of the order receiving processing device 10 stores a first conversion rule 14A shown in FIG. 8 and a second conversion rule 14B shown in FIG. 9. Note that the combination of the first conversion rule 14A and the first conversion rule 14B is the conversion rule 14.

[0094] Here, as an example, the conversion rule 14 is constituted by the first conversion rule 14A and the second conversion rule 14B. However, there is no restriction on the data structure of the conversion rule 14. The conversion rule 14 may have any data structure as long as it can associate the order receiving information used at the order receiving site with the printing information for each printing company registered in the order receiving and issuing system 1.

[0095] The registration process shown in FIG. 3 is executed each time by the printing company when there is a change in the association between the order receiving information and the printing information used by the printing company. Therefore, the updated conversion rule 14, that is, the conversion rule 14 in which the correct association between the order receiving information and the printing information is made, is stored in the conversion rule DB12.

[0096] Next, the operation of the order receiving and issuing system 1 that is executed when a customer specifies the specifications of a printed matter to be ordered through the order receiving site and, for example, presses a completion button displayed on the order receiving screen of the order receiving site will be described.

[0097] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the order receiving process executed by the CPU 31 of the order receiving processing device 10 and the CPU 41 of the printing management device 20 when a customer presses a completion button displayed on the order receiving screen of the order receiving site and the order receiving information of the printed matter is transmitted to the order receiving processing device 10 via the communication line 2. The order receiving process is also defined by an information processing program in the same manner as the registration process shown in FIG. 3. That is, the CPU 31 of the order receiving processing device 10 reads the information processing program stored in the ROM 32 and executes the order receiving process. Also, the CPU 41 of the printing management device 20 reads the information processing program stored in the ROM 42 and executes the order receiving process.

[0098] In step S100, the CPU 31 of the order receiving processing device 10 acquires order receiving information of printed matter from the order receiving site and stores it in the RAM 33.

[0099] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the order receiving information acquired from the order receiving site and the converted order receiving information obtained by converting the order receiving information acquired from the order receiving site according to the conversion rule 14, which will be described later.

[0100] The items of the order receiving information include, in addition to the items set by the customer on the order receiving site, internal administrative matters of the printing company, printing process information, and secondary items of the order receiving information. Therefore, the content of the order receiving information acquired from the order receiving site is set only for the items set by the customer on the order receiving site. In FIG. 11, the symbol "-" in the content column of the order receiving information indicates that no content is set for the corresponding item of the order receiving information.

[0101] In step S110, the CPU 31 calculates an estimate for each printing company registered in the order receiving and issuing system 1 using the conversion rule 14 for the order placed by the customer for the printed matter, and displays the calculated estimate result on the order receiving screen of the order receiving site.

[0102] For example, when the customer designates "offset printing" as the printing process, the CPU 31 searches for "printing process" from the item column of the order receiving information in the conversion rule 14 and refers to the printing information of each printing company associated with "offset printing" in the content column of the order receiving information. In the example of the first conversion rule 14A in FIG. 8, it shows that printing company A can handle offset printing, while printing company B cannot handle offset printing. In this way, the CPU 31 uses the conversion rule 14 to confirm for each item of the order receiving information set by the customer whether the printing information corresponding to the content set by the customer is associated with each printing company, and extracts the printing companies that can print the printed matter according to the content of each item of the order receiving information set by the customer.

[0103] Thereafter, the CPU 31 calculates estimated results such as the delivery date and price of the printed matter for each printer capable of printing the printed matter ordered by the customer. Specifically, if each printer registers the delivery date and price in advance in the conversion rule 14 as secondary items that refer to the items of order information that affect the delivery date and price of the printed matter, such as "number of ordered copies", "finishing standard ID", "printing process", and "processing process", the CPU 31 can calculate the estimated results of each printer capable of printing the printed matter ordered by the customer by using the conversion rule 14.

[0104] In step S120, the CPU 31 determines whether or not the customer has selected any one printer from the printers that have displayed the estimated results on the order receiving site. If no printer has been selected, the determination process in step S120 is repeatedly executed to monitor the selection status of the printer by the customer. On the other hand, if a printer has been selected, the process proceeds to step S130. The printer selected by the customer becomes the designated printer. Here, it is assumed that Printer A has been selected as the designated printer.

[0105] In step S130, the CPU 31 uses the conversion rule 14 to convert the content of each item of the order receiving information into the printing information of the designated printer associated with the item of the order receiving information.

[0106] Specifically, the CPU 31 uses the conversion rule 14 to convert the set content in the item of the order receiving information set by the customer on the order receiving site into the printing information of the designated printer associated with the item of the order receiving information.

[0107] For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when "001" is set for the item of "paper ID" in the order receiving information, in the first conversion rule 14A of FIG. 8, "003" is associated with the paper ID of "001" for Printer A. Therefore, the CPU 31 converts the content of the item of "paper ID" in the order receiving information from "001" to "003".

[0108] Similarly, regarding the content of the "Finishing Standard ID" item, as shown in Fig. 11, when the customer sets "501", in the first conversion rule 14A of Fig. 8, for printing company A, "305" is associated with the finishing standard ID of "501". Therefore, the CPU 31 converts the content of the "Finishing Standard ID" item in the order information from "501" to "305".

[0109] In the example of the order information shown in Fig. 11, "Offset printing" is set as the content of the "Printing Process" item. In the first conversion rule 14A of Fig. 8, the same expression "Offset printing" is associated with the printing company A for the "Offset printing" which indicates the content of the "Printing Process" item in the order information. For such items of the order information, naturally, the CPU 31 does not need to convert the content of the order information item set by the customer at the order receiving site into the printing information of the printing company A. Therefore, the content of the "Processing Process" item in the order information shown in Fig. 11 also remains as "Wire binding".

[0110] Also, the CPU 31 uses the conversion rule 14 to perform a conversion of setting the printing information of the designated printing company associated with the item of the order information for the items of the order information whose content is not set by the customer.

[0111] For example, in the order receiving information shown in FIG. 11, the items of "Order receiving department", "Order receiving person", "Order receiving person ID", "Delivery company name", and "Delivery company ID" are items whose contents are not set by the customer, and are items to which the printing information of printing company A is associated according to the first conversion rule 14A shown in FIG. 8. Therefore, the CPU 31 sets "Manufacturing Department 1", "Atsushi Yamada", "001", "A Transportation", and "002" for the items of "Order receiving department", "Order receiving person", "Order receiving person ID", "Delivery company name", and "Delivery company ID" in the order receiving information shown in FIG. 11, respectively. That is, the CPU 31 complements the order receiving information by setting the printing information used individually by the designated printing company for the items of the order receiving information for which no setting is made by the customer. The process of setting the printing information of the designated printing company for the items of the order receiving information for which the content is not set in this way is also an example of the process of converting the content of the items of the order receiving information into the printing information of the designated printing company.

[0112] Also, the CPU 31 performs a conversion using the conversion rule 14 to set the printing information of the designated printing company, which is the reference destination of the secondary item and is associated with the item of the order receiving information for which the content has been set, for the secondary items of the order receiving information for which no content has been set by the customer.

[0113] For example, "Printing equipment" is a secondary item in the order receiving information shown in FIG. 11. Therefore, the CPU 31 refers to the content of "Printing process", which is the reference destination item of "Printing equipment", according to the second conversion rule 14B. In the example of the order receiving information shown in FIG. 11, since the content of "Printing process" is set to "Offset printing", the CPU 31 sets the printing information of printing company A, that is, "Printing press No. 1", for the item of "Printing equipment" according to the second conversion rule 14B.

[0114] Also, in the order information shown in FIG. 11, "processing equipment" is also a secondary item. Therefore, the CPU 31 refers to the content of "processing process", which is the reference destination item of "processing equipment", according to the second conversion rule 14B. In the example of the order information shown in FIG. 11, since the content of "processing process" is set to "wire binding", the CPU 31 sets the printing information of printer A, that is, "folder A" and "stitching machine C", for the item of "processing equipment" according to the second conversion rule 14B.

[0115] Also, in the order information shown in FIG. 11, "coating type ID" is also a secondary item. Therefore, the CPU 31 refers to the content of "order quantity", "finishing standard ID", and "paper ID", which are the reference destination items of "coating type ID", according to the second conversion rule 14B. In the example of the order information shown in FIG. 11, since the content of "order quantity" is "100", the content of "finishing standard ID" is "501", and the content of "paper ID" is "001", the CPU 31 sets "003", which is the printing information of printer A that satisfies the condition that the combination of the respective contents of "order quantity", "finishing standard ID", and "paper ID" is set in the content column of the order information, for the item of "coating type ID" according to the second conversion rule 14B.

[0116] In this way, the CPU 31 uses the conversion rule 14 to generate the order information after converting the items of the order information shown in FIG. 11 into the printing information of the designated printer, that is, the order information after conversion. In the order information after conversion, not only the printing attribute information of the printed matter received for the order but also the printing process information of the designated printer is associated. In the order information shown in FIG. 11, each item from "order quantity" to "coating type ID" is printing attribute information, and each item from "printing process" to "processing equipment" is printing process information.

[0117] After changing the order information, in step S140 of FIG. 10, the CPU 31 transmits the order information after conversion to the printing management device 20 of the designated printer through the communication line 2, and ends the order processing on the order processing device 10 side.

[0118] On the one hand, in step S150, the CPU 41 of the printing management device 20 of the designated printer determines whether it has acquired the order information from the order processing device 10. If it has not received the order information, it repeatedly executes the determination process of step S150 until it receives the order information from the order processing device 10, and monitors the reception status of the order information. When it receives the order information from the order processing device 10, it proceeds to step S160. Note that the order information received by the printing management device 20 from the order processing device 10 is the converted order information as shown in FIG. 11.

[0119] In step S160, the CPU 41 sets various printing attribute information specified in the order information for the printing equipment 22 indicated in the items of "printing equipment" and "processing equipment" in the order information received from the order processing device 10, performs printing preparation, and then starts printing. Also, the CPU 41 sends an order notice to the person in charge specified in the item of "person in charge of order" by email or SNS (Social Networking Service) according to the order information, and arranges for the delivery of the printed matter to the delivery company specified in the item of "delivery company name". Thus, the order processing on the printing management device 20 side is completed.

[0120] In this way, the order information received by the printing management device 20 from the order processing device 10 has the content of the items of the order information set by the customer converted into the printing information of the printer, and also includes the printing process information unique to each printer. Therefore, the CPU 41 can control the printing equipment 22 and manage the order of the printed matter by directly using the content set in each item of the order information.

[0121] On the other hand, in the conversion rule 14, the printing information used by each of the plurality of printing companies registered in the order receiving and issuing system 1 is associated with the content of each item of the order receiving information. Therefore, when the order receiving processing device 10 causes the customer to specify the printing information related to the specifications of the printed matter for each item of the order receiving information, instead of directly displaying on the order receiving site the printing information using the unique expression for each printing company, it converts the content of each item into a common expression so that it is easy for the customer to understand and then displays it on the order receiving screen of the order receiving site. For example, according to the first conversion rule 14A in FIG. 8, the order receiving processing device 10 can unify the paper ID which is represented as "003" by printing company A and "002" by printing company B into the content of "001" on the order receiving site and display it on the order receiving screen of the order receiving site.

[0122] So far, the order receiving processing device 10 has used the conversion rule 14 to convert the content of the items of the order receiving information set by the customer on the order receiving site into the printing information of the designated printing company. However, the entity that converts the order receiving information does not necessarily have to be the order receiving processing device 10, and the printing management device 20 may convert the content of the items of the order receiving information into the printing information unique to the printing company used by itself.

[0123] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of order receiving processing executed by the CPU 31 of the order receiving processing device 10 and the CPU 41 of the printing management device 20 when converting the content of the items of the order receiving information into printing information by the printing management device 20.

[0124] The difference between the flowchart of the order receiving processing shown in FIG. 12 and the flowchart of the order receiving processing shown in FIG. 10 is that step S130 is deleted from the order receiving processing of the order receiving processing device 10 and step S155 is added to the order receiving processing of the printing management device 20.

[0125] That is, the CPU 31 of the order receiving processing device 10 transmits the order receiving information containing the content set by the customer on the order receiving site as it is, as shown in the order receiving information in FIG. 11, to the printing management device 20 of the designated printing company in step S140.

[0126] The CPU 41 of the printing management apparatus 20 that has received the order information converts the content of each item of the order information into the printing information specific to its own printing company associated with the item of the order information using the conversion rule 14 in step S155. As a specific conversion method, the same process as the conversion method described in step S130 of FIG. 10 may be performed.

[0127] Thereafter, in step S160, the CPU 41 may control the printing facility 22 according to the order information in which the content of each item has been converted into the printing information used by its own printing company in step S155, and perform printing of the ordered printed matter.

[0128] Also in this case, the CPU 41 can use the content set in each item of the converted order information as it is to control the printing facility 22 and manage the order of printed matter.

[0129] In the above, an example in which the conversion rule 14 is stored in the order processing apparatus 10 has been described. However, each printing management apparatus 20 of each printing company may store the conversion rule 14 associated only with the printing information used by itself in the non-volatile memory 44 of each printing management apparatus 20. That is, the printing management apparatus 20 of printing company A stores the conversion rules 14A and 14B obtained by removing the printing information of other printing companies, that is, the printing information of printing company B, from the first conversion rule 14A shown in FIG. 8 and the second conversion rule 14B shown in FIG. 9, and the printing management apparatus 20 of printing company B stores the conversion rules 14A and 14B from which the printing information of printing company A has been removed.

[0130] When the printing management apparatus 20 performs conversion of the order information in this situation, the CPU 41 of the printing management apparatus 20 may perform conversion of the order information received from the order processing apparatus 10 using the conversion rule 14 stored in its own non-volatile memory 44.

[0131] Also, when the order receiving processing device 10 performs conversion of order receiving information in this situation, the CPU 31 of the order receiving processing device 10 may perform conversion of the order receiving information using the conversion rules 14 stored in the printing management device 20 of each printing company registered in the order receiving and issuing system 1, and transmit the converted order receiving information to the printing management device 20 of the designated printing company.

[0132] As described above, one aspect of the order receiving and issuing system 1 has been described using the embodiments. However, the disclosed form of the order receiving and issuing system 1 is an example, and the form of the order receiving and issuing system 1 is not limited to the scope described in the embodiments. Various changes or improvements can be made to the embodiments without departing from the gist of the present disclosure, and the forms with such changes or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the disclosure. For example, the order of the registration process shown in FIG. 3 and the order receiving process shown in FIGS. 10 and 12 may be changed without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0133] In the present disclosure, as an example, the form in which the registration process and the order receiving process are realized by software has been described. However, processing equivalent to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 3, 10, and 12 may be implemented in, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) and processed by hardware. In this case, the processing speed can be increased compared to the case where the registration process and the order receiving process are realized by software.

[0134] In this way, the CPU 31 of the order receiving processing device 10 and the CPU 41 of the printing management device 20 may be replaced with dedicated processors specialized for specific processing such as an ASIC, an FPGA, a PLD, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and an FPU (Floating Point Unit).

[0135] In addition to the form in which the processing of the order receiving apparatus 10 and the print management apparatus 20 is realized by one CPU 31 and one CPU 41 respectively, it may also be executed by a combination of two or more processors of the same type or different types. Furthermore, the processing of the order receiving apparatus 10 and the processing of the print management apparatus 20 may be realized by the cooperation of processors existing at physically separated locations.

[0136] In the embodiment, an example in which information processing programs are stored in the ROM 32 of the order receiving apparatus 10 and the ROM 42 of the print management apparatus 20 respectively has been described. However, the storage destinations of the information processing programs are not limited to the ROM 32 and the ROM 42. The information processing program of the present disclosure can also be provided in a form recorded on a storage medium readable by the computers 30 and 40. For example, the information processing program may be provided in a form recorded on an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory) and a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory). Also, the information processing program may be provided in a form recorded on a portable semiconductor memory such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory and a memory card. The ROM 32, the ROM 42, the nonvolatile memory 34, the nonvolatile memory 44, the CD-ROM, the DVD-ROM, the USB, and the memory card are examples of non-transitory storage media.

[0137] Furthermore, the order receiving apparatus 10 and the print management apparatus 20 may each download an information processing program from an external device through the communication unit 37 and the communication unit 47, and store the downloaded information processing program in the nonvolatile memory 34 and the nonvolatile memory 44 respectively. In this case, the CPU 31 of the order receiving apparatus 10 and the CPU 41 of the print management apparatus 20 read the information processing program downloaded from the external device and execute registration processing and order receiving processing.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0138] 1... Order receiving system, 2... Communication line, 10... Order receiving processing device, 12... Conversion rule DB, 14... Conversion rule, 14A... First conversion rule, 14B... Second conversion rule, 20... Printing management device, 22... Printing equipment, 24A(24B, 24C, 24D)... Registration screen, 30(40)... Computer, 31(41)... CPU, 32(42)... ROM, 33(43)... RAM, 34(44)... Non-volatile memory, 35(45)... I / O, 36(46)... Bus, 37(47)... Communication unit, 38(48)... Input unit, 39(49)... Display unit

Claims

1. comprising a processor, wherein the processor uses a conversion rule that defines, for each manufacturer and for each item, the association between order information reflecting the specifications of an item specified by a user and manufacturing information respectively used by a plurality of manufacturers that manufacture the item according to the order information, and determines whether manufacturing information capable of manufacturing the item specified by the order information is associated for each item of the set order information from the plurality of manufacturers, extracts and displays at least one manufacturer for which the manufacturing information is associated for all items, receives from the user a selection of a designated manufacturer that requests the manufacture of the item from the displayed manufacturers, when converting the order information into manufacturing information used by the designated manufacturer using the conversion rule, performs a conversion to set the manufacturing information used by the designated manufacturer associated with the same item as the item of the order information, and when there is an association between an item of the order information with no content set and an item of the order information with content already set, performs a conversion to set the manufacturing information used by the designated manufacturer associated with the item of the order information with content already set for the item of the order information with no content set an information processing system.

2. In the conversion rule, for an item of the order information with no content set, a plurality of items of the order information with content already set are associated The information processing system according to Claim 1.

3. The content of the item of the manufacturing information is content related to at least one of a manufacturing process representing a difference in the manufacturing method of the item and manufacturing equipment The information processing system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2.

4. The item manufactured according to the order information is a printed matter The information processing system according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

5. comprising a processor, wherein the processor uses a conversion rule that defines the association between order information of an item and manufacturing information respectively used by a plurality of manufacturers that manufacture the item according to the order information of the item for each item, and converts the order information into manufacturing information used by a designated manufacturer that requests the manufacture of the item, In the conversion rule, when an item of the order information for which the content is not set is associated with an item of the order information for which the content is set, refer to the item of the order information for which the content is set, and based on the content of the referred item of the order information for which the content is set, set the item of the manufacturing information used by the designated manufacturer associated with the item of the order information for which the content is not set. An information processing system.

6. On a computer, Using a conversion rule that defines the association between the order information reflecting the specifications of the article specified by the user and the manufacturing information used by each of a plurality of manufacturers that manufacture the article according to the order information, for each item of the order information set from a plurality of manufacturers, determine whether the manufacturing information capable of manufacturing the article specified by the order information is associated, extract and display at least one manufacturer for which the manufacturing information is associated for all items, Accept from the user a selection of a designated manufacturer that requests the manufacture of the article from the displayed manufacturers, When converting the order information into the manufacturing information used by the designated manufacturer using the conversion rule, perform a conversion to set the manufacturing information used by the designated manufacturer associated with the same item as the item of the order information, and for an item of the order information for which the content is not set, when an item of the order information for which the content is set is associated, perform a conversion to set the manufacturing information used by the designated manufacturer associated with the item of the order information for which the content is not set with the item of the order information for which the content is set. Execute the process. An information processing program.

7. On a computer, Using a conversion rule that defines the association between the order information of the article and the manufacturing information used by each of a plurality of manufacturers that manufacture the article according to the order information of the article, convert the order information into the manufacturing information used by the designated manufacturer that requests the manufacture of the article. In the conversion rule, when an item of the order information with no content set is associated with an item of the order information with content already set, refer to the item of the order information with content already set, and based on the content of the referred item of the order information with content already set, execute a process of setting an item of manufacturing information used by the designated manufacturer associated with the item of the order information with no content set. Information processing program.

8. An order processing apparatus that functions as an information processing system according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, A plurality of manufacturing management apparatuses installed for each of a plurality of manufacturers that manufacture articles according to the order information received by the order processing apparatus, for performing manufacturing management of the articles, comprising: The order processing apparatus uses a conversion rule that defines the association between the order information of the article and the manufacturing information respectively used by the plurality of manufacturers, and converts the order information into the converted order information in the manufacturing information used by the designated manufacturer that requests the manufacture of the article, and transmits the converted order information to the manufacturing management apparatus used by the designated manufacturer. Order receiving and issuing system for articles.

9. The order processing apparatus uses the conversion rule to convert the manufacturing information respectively used by the plurality of manufacturers corresponding to the same item of the order information into a common expression used in the order information, and then displays it on the order screen of the article. The order receiving and issuing system for articles according to Claim 8.

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