Terminal device, procedure selection method, and program

Abstract

To make it easy for users to perform actions related to the products or services featured in printed materials. [Solution] The terminal device 100 is equipped with a touch panel, which is an example of a display device. The terminal device 100 acquires an image of printed material such as content. The terminal device 100 displays the acquired image on the touch panel. The terminal device 100 accepts a user's selection operation from the displayed image to specify a product or service listed in the printed material. The terminal device 100 overlays each selection screen on the display device in response to the user's selection operation, allowing the user to select a procedure related to the product or service specified by the selection operation. The terminal device 100 executes a process to perform the procedure selected on each selection screen.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal device, a procedure selection method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Printed materials such as leaflets, catalogs, and brochures that list products or services are distributed and used on a daily basis. When a user intends to purchase or make an inquiry about a product or service listed in such a printed material, the user needs to call the telephone number described in the printed material and communicate with an operator. In addition, Patent Document 1 describes an information processing system in which a terminal device reads a two-dimensional code obtained by encoding a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) printed on an advertising printed material, thereby enabling access to a website for purchasing a product listed on the printed part.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When calling to communicate with an operator, there are problems such as difficulty in connecting to an operator during busy hours, and in many cases, 24-hour service is not provided. In addition, in the method of accessing a website described in Patent Document 1, since the layout differs for each website, it is difficult, especially for users who are unfamiliar with the Internet, to appropriately select and execute what the user wants to do regarding the product or service listed in the printed material from within the website.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a terminal device, a procedure selection method, and a program that allow users to easily perform actions related to products or services listed in printed materials. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the terminal device according to the first aspect of the present invention is: A terminal device equipped with a display device, An image acquisition unit that acquires an image of a printed document, An image display unit that displays the acquired image on the display device, A designation operation reception unit that receives designation operations from a user to specify a product or service listed in the printed material from the displayed image, Overlaid on the aforementioned image, for selecting the procedure relating to the aforementioned product or service specified by the aforementioned specified operation. It has been treated to be transparent or semi-transparent. A selection screen display unit that sequentially displays each selection screen on the display device in accordance with the selection operation from the user, A procedure execution unit that executes the process for performing the procedure selected on each of the aforementioned selection screens, It is equipped with.

[0007] Each of the aforementioned selection screens may display information about the product or service specified by the aforementioned operation.

[0008] Each of the aforementioned selection screens may be made transparent or semi-transparent.

[0009] The aforementioned selection screens may share a common layout.

[0010] The selection screen display unit may display different selection screens on the display device depending on the type of product or service specified by the specified operation.

[0011] To achieve the above objective, the procedure selection method according to the second aspect of the present invention is: Computers Acquiring an image obtained by imaging a printed matter Image acquisition step, The aforementioned computer, Displaying the acquired said image on a display device The image display step, The aforementioned computer, Accepting a specifying operation from a user for specifying a product or service published in the printed matter from within the displayed said image A specified operation acceptance step, The aforementioned computer, for selecting a procedure related to said product or service specified by said specifying operation, overlaid on top of said image It has been treated to be transparent or semi-transparent. sequentially displaying each selection screen on said display device in accordance with a selection operation from said user The system includes a step of displaying a selection screen.

[0012] To achieve the above object, a program according to a third aspect of the present invention is a computer comprising a display device, an image acquisition unit that acquires an image obtained by imaging a printed matter, an image display unit that displays the acquired said image on said display device, a specifying operation reception unit that receives a specifying operation from a user for specifying a product or service published in the printed matter from within the displayed said image, for selecting a procedure related to said product or service specified by said specifying operation, overlaid on top of said image, It has been treated to be transparent or semi-transparent. a selection screen display unit that sequentially displays each selection screen on said display device in accordance with a selection operation from said user, a procedure execution unit that executes processing for performing the procedure selected on each of said selection screens, functioning as Effects of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it becomes possible for a user to easily perform what the user wants to do regarding a product or service published in a printed matter. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1]It is a diagram showing the configuration of a procedure support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a block diagram of a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a flowchart for explaining the operation of procedure execution processing. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing a content image displayed on a touch panel. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing a procedure selection screen displayed on a content image. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing a purchase method selection screen displayed on a content image. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing a delivery destination selection screen displayed on a content image. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing a payment method selection screen displayed on a content image. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an inquiry content selection screen displayed on a content image. Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and the accompanying drawings. It goes without saying that modifications can be made to the following embodiments and drawings without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition, the same or corresponding portions in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0016] A procedural support system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The procedural support system 1 is a system that allows a user to easily select and execute procedures related to products listed in printed materials (advertisements, flyers, brochures, catalogs, etc.), which are content. As shown in Figure 1, the procedural support system 1 comprises a terminal device 100 owned by the user and a server 200. The terminal device 100 owned by the user and the server 200 are connected to each other via a communication network N1. This communication network N1 is, for example, the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0017] The terminal device 100 is a smartphone, tablet, or other device owned by the user, and functions as the user's interface. Although Figure 1 shows only one terminal device 100, the procedure support system 1 actually includes multiple terminal devices 100. As shown in Figure 2, the terminal device 100 comprises a communication unit 110, a control unit 120, a touch panel 130, and a storage unit 140.

[0018] The communication unit 110 is a communication device compliant with wireless communication standards such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), 4G, and 5G. Under the control of the control unit 120, the communication unit 110 communicates with the server 200 via the communication network N1.

[0019] The control unit 120 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The CPU is also called a central processing unit, central computing unit, processor, microprocessor, microcomputer, DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc., and functions as a central computing unit that executes processing and calculations related to the control of the terminal device 100. In the control unit 120, the CPU reads programs and data stored in ROM and uses RAM as a work area to comprehensively control the entire terminal device 100.

[0020] For example, the control unit 120 acquires content images from the server 200 via the communication network N1. The content images are images of printed materials containing products, converted into PDF (Portable Document Format) format. The control unit 120 then displays the acquired content images on the touch panel 130. When the control unit 120 receives a user operation (selection operation) to specify a product from the content image displayed on the touch panel 130, it displays various selection screens for selecting procedures that can be performed regarding the specified product, switching between them in stages and overlaying them on top of the content image according to the user's selection operation. The control unit 120 also executes processing according to the procedure selected from the selection screen by requesting it from the server 200. The control unit 120 functions as an image acquisition unit, image display unit, selection operation reception unit, selection screen display unit, and procedure execution unit of the present invention. Details of these processes performed by the control unit 120 will be described later.

[0021] The touch panel 130 is a display device that displays various images and screens according to the control of the control unit 120, and is also an input device that receives various operations from the user and supplies information indicating the content of those operations to the control unit 120. For example, under the control of the control unit 120, the touch panel 130 displays the aforementioned content images and accepts a specification operation from the user to specify a product. The touch panel 130 also displays the aforementioned selection screen and accepts the user's selection of procedures related to the specified product.

[0022] The memory unit 140 is a non-volatile storage device such as flash memory, and stores programs and various data for various processes executed by the control unit 120. For example, as an example of various data, the memory unit 140 stores content image data acquired from the server 200. The memory unit 140 also stores screen data for the selection screen mentioned above.

[0023] Next, we will describe the server 200. The server 200 is a computer that performs various procedures such as sales and inquiries regarding products based on instructions from users who are registered as members of the procedural support service provided by the server 200. Note that sales here include both sales on the website and sales at physical stores. As shown in Figure 3, the server 200 comprises a communication unit 210, a storage unit 220, and a control unit 230.

[0024] The communication unit 210 is equipped with communication interfaces compliant with various communication standards. The communication unit 210 communicates with terminal devices 100 connected to the communication network N1 according to the control of the control unit. The communication here can be wired or wireless.

[0025] The storage unit 220 is equipped with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), etc., and plays the role of a so-called auxiliary storage device. The storage unit 220 stores programs and data that the control unit 230 uses to execute various processes. For example, the storage unit 220 includes a member database 221, a content database 222, a product database 223, and a store database 224.

[0026] Member DB221 is a database where various information about users registered as members of the procedural support service is stored. For example, Member DB221 stores information such as the user's ID, password, name, home address, work address, telephone number, email address, credit card information, and bank account information.

[0027] Content DB222 stores content images, which are PDF versions of the printed materials in which each product is featured. These content images are, for example, image data in PDF format. Multiple types of content images may be stored in Content DB222, categorized by product genre or manufacturer.

[0028] Product DB223 contains information about each product shown in the content images. For example, Product DB223 includes the product name, price, product image, documentation information such as instruction manuals and brochures, and information about related products. When registering product information in Product DB223, it is advisable to verify the manufacturer and other details to ensure that the product is genuine and not a counterfeit or imitation before registering it. By doing so, only genuine products can be purchased through the procedure support system 1, thereby increasing user confidence.

[0029] Store DB224 contains information about each store where the products featured in the content images can be purchased. For example, Store DB224 includes information such as the store name, address, business hours, and products handled by each store. When registering store information in Store DB224, it is advisable to verify that the store is an authorized retailer by checking the store name, sales record, etc., before registering. By doing so, only authorized retailers will be able to purchase products through the procedure support system 1, thereby increasing user confidence.

[0030] The control unit 230 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The CPU is also called a central processing unit, central computing unit, processor, microprocessor, microcomputer, DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc., and functions as a central computing unit that executes processing and calculations related to the control of the server 200. In the control unit 230, the CPU reads programs and data stored in ROM and uses RAM as a work area to comprehensively control the entire server 200.

[0031] For example, the control unit 230 transmits content images stored in the content DB 222 in response to a request from a terminal device 100 of a user registered with the procedure support service. The control unit also performs various procedures related to products in response to requests from the terminal device 100. Details of these processes performed by the control unit will be described later.

[0032] Next, the operation of the terminal device 100 of the procedure support system 1 described above will be explained. It is assumed that the user of the terminal device 100 has been registered in advance with the procedure support service provided by the server 200, and that the user information is registered in the member DB 221. For example, the user operates the touch panel 130 of the terminal device 100 to execute an application program (hereinafter referred to as "app") for executing the procedure support service provided by the server 200. When the app is executed, the control unit 120 of the terminal device 100 starts the procedure execution process shown in the flowchart of Figure 4.

[0033] First, the control unit 120 of the terminal device 100 sends the user's user ID and password to the server 200 via the communication network N1 to log in to the server 200 and request content images (step S101). When requesting content images, the user may also specify content conditions such as genre and manufacturer.

[0034] The control unit 230 of the server 200 authenticates the user by confirming that the received user ID and password combination is registered in the member database 221. If the user is authenticated, the control unit 230 sends the content images stored in the content database 222 to the terminal device 100. If conditions are specified, the control unit 230 sends only the content images that match the conditions to the terminal device 100.

[0035] The control unit 120 of the terminal device 100 displays the content image received from the server 200 on the touch panel 130 (step S102). Figure 5 shows an example of the content image displayed on the touch panel 130. The content image shown in this example includes a camera with the product name "AAA", a monitor with the product name "BBB", a tablet terminal with the product name "CCC", and a personal computer with the product name "DDD". In reality, the content image also includes other products. The user can scroll through the content image and display other products by using flick input on the touch panel 130. Furthermore, if multiple content images are received from the server 200, the control unit 120 may switch the content image displayed on the touch panel 130 when the user performs a slide operation on the touch panel 130.

[0036] Returning to Figure 4, the user then performs an operation to select a product from the displayed content image (selection operation). For example, the user may perform a selection operation such as double-tapping the product name or product image within the content image, or tracing a circle around it. The control unit 120 then receives such a selection operation via the touch panel 130 (step S103).

[0037] Next, the control unit 120 identifies the product specified by the specified operation (step S104). For example, the control unit 120 may use known OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to recognize the characters contained in the area of ​​the content image specified by the operation, and then identify the product from the product name contained in the recognized characters. Alternatively, the control unit 120 may extract the image containing the area specified by the operation, search for it on a predetermined image search site, and then identify the product from the search results. In step S104, the control unit 120 can employ various methods to identify the product.

[0038] Next, the control unit 120 displays the procedure selection screen P1 overlaid on the content image displayed on the touch panel 130 (step S105). Figure 6 shows an example of the display on the touch panel 130 in step S105. This example shows the display when the camera "AAA" is selected from the content image. Overlaid on the content image, the procedure selection screen P1 displays "Purchase" and "Inquire" as selectable buttons for procedures that can be performed regarding the selected product (camera "AAA"). Note that regardless of which product is selected from the content image, the types of procedures displayed on the procedure selection screen P1 are the same, and "Purchase" and "Inquire" are always displayed. In addition, this procedure selection screen P1 is transparent or semi-transparent, and this is the same for other selection screens described later. Also, on this procedure selection screen P1, the product name and image of the camera "AAA" selected from the content image are displayed at the bottom, and this is the same for other selection screens described later.

[0039] The user touches and selects the procedure they want to perform ("Purchase" or "Inquiry") from the procedure selection screen P1 shown in Figure 6. If the procedure selected from the procedure selection screen P1 is "Purchase" (step S106; purchase), the control unit 120 clears the displayed procedure selection screen P1 and displays the purchase method selection screen P2 on top of the content image (step S107). Figure 7 shows an example of the display of the touch panel 130 in step S107. The purchase method selection screen P2 is a screen for selecting the purchase method of the specified product, and is displayed as buttons that allow selection of "In-store purchase" and "Web purchase".

[0040] When the user selects "In-store purchase" from the purchase method selection screen P2 (step S108; In-store purchase), the control unit 120 requests information from the server 200 about stores where the specified product can be purchased (step S109). The control unit 230 of the server 200 refers to information such as the user's home address stored in the member DB 221 and the addresses and business hours of each store stored in the store DB 224, and obtains store information such as the address and business hours of the store closest to the user's home among the stores where the product can be purchased, and sends it to the terminal device 100. The control unit 120 of the terminal device 100 displays the store information received from the server 200 on the touch panel 130 (step S110). Then the procedure execution process ends.

[0041] On the other hand, when the user selects "Purchase via Web" from the purchase method selection screen P2 (step S108; purchase via Web), the control unit 120 clears the displayed purchase method selection screen P2 and displays the delivery destination selection screen P3 overlaid on the content image (step S111). Figure 8 shows an example of the display on the touch panel 130 in step S111. The delivery destination selection screen P3 is a screen for selecting the delivery destination of the specified product, and "Home Delivery" and "Work Delivery" are displayed as selectable options.

[0042] Then, when the user selects a delivery destination from the delivery destination selection screen P3, the control unit 120 clears the displayed delivery destination selection screen P3 and overlays the payment method selection screen P4 on top of the content image (step S112). Figure 9 shows an example of the display on the touch panel 130 in step S112. The payment method selection screen P4 is the screen for selecting the payment method for the specified product, and "credit card," "bank transfer," and "cash on delivery" are displayed as selectable options.

[0043] Then, when the user selects a payment method from the payment method selection screen P4, the control unit 120 requests the server 200 to purchase the product specified from the content image from the website to the delivery address selected on the delivery address selection screen P3, using the payment method selected on the payment method selection screen P4 (step S113). The control unit 230 of the server 200 performs the purchase procedure from its own shopping site in accordance with the request from the terminal device 100. At that time, the control unit 230 of the server 200 refers to the member DB 221 and appropriately obtains the specified delivery address, credit card or bank account information based on the specified payment method, etc. If any information necessary for the purchase procedure is missing, the control unit 230 appropriately queries the terminal device 100 for the necessary information. When the purchase procedure is completed, the control unit 230 notifies the terminal device 100 of this, and the control unit 120 of the terminal device 100 displays the purchase completion screen on the touch panel 130 (step S114). Then the procedure execution process ends.

[0044] On the other hand, if the procedure selected from the procedure selection screen P1 is "Inquiry" (step S106; Inquiry), the control unit 120 clears the displayed procedure selection screen P1 and displays the inquiry content selection screen P5 overlaid on the content image (step S115). Figure 10 shows an example of the display on the touch panel 130 in step S115. The inquiry content selection screen P5 is a screen for selecting the content of an inquiry regarding a specified product, and "Request for materials" and "Related products" are displayed as selectable options.

[0045] Then, if "Request for materials" is selected from the inquiry selection screen P5 (step S116; Request for materials), the control unit 120 requests materials for the specified product from the server 200 (step S117). The control unit 230 of the server 200 retrieves material information for the specified product from the product DB 223 and sends it to the terminal device 100. The control unit 120 of the terminal device 100 displays the materials for the specified product on the touch panel 130 based on the received material information (step S118). Then the process ends.

[0046] On the other hand, if "Related Products" is selected from the inquiry content selection screen P5 (step S116; Related Products), the control unit 120 requests related products for the specified product from the server 200 (step S119). The control unit 230 of the server 200 identifies products related to the specified product from the product database 223 and sends data such as image data and product names of the identified products to the terminal device 100. The control unit 120 of the terminal device 100 displays the products related to the specified product on the terminal device 100 based on the received data (step S120). The process is then completed.

[0047] As described above, the terminal device 100 according to this embodiment acquires content images (advertisements, flyers, brochures, catalogs, etc.) that are printed materials and displays them on the touch panel 130. When a product is selected from the content image, the terminal device 100 sequentially displays one of the following selection screens (procedure selection screen P1, purchase method selection screen P2, delivery address selection screen P3, payment method selection screen P4, inquiry content selection screen P5) on the touch panel 130, overlaid on the content image, in response to the user's selection. The terminal device 100 then requests the server 200 to process the procedure selected from each selection screen. In other words, with the terminal device 100 according to this embodiment, by simply selecting a product from the content image and sequentially selecting procedures, the user can easily perform what they want to do with the products listed in the printed material.

[0048] Furthermore, according to the terminal device 100 of this embodiment, each selection screen displays information about the product specified from the content image. Therefore, the user can easily confirm which product procedure to select from the selection screen. In addition, according to the terminal device 100 of this embodiment, each selection screen is made transparent or semi-transparent. Therefore, even while selecting a procedure, the user can check the content image displayed below the selection screen. As a result, according to the terminal device 100 of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent user errors.

[0049] Furthermore, according to the terminal device 100 of this embodiment, the selection screens P1 (procedure selection screen), P2 (purchase method selection screen), P3 (delivery destination selection screen), P4 (payment method selection screen), and P5 (inquiry content selection screen) shown in Figures 6 to 10 have the same layout, differing only in the items of the procedure, thus providing a user-friendly design.

[0050] (modified version) Furthermore, this invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible. For example, parts of the above embodiments can be omitted, replaced, or arbitrary configurations can be added. Also, the hardware configuration, functional configuration, flowchart, etc. shown in the above embodiments are examples and can be modified as appropriate.

[0051] For example, although the above embodiment describes an embodiment for performing procedures related to products listed in the content, the present invention is similarly applicable to procedures related to services listed in the content. Furthermore, the terminal device 100 may display different selection screens on the touch panel 130, with different items displayed depending on the type of product or service specified from the content image. For example, the terminal device 100 may display different selection screens on the touch panel 130 depending on whether a product or a service is specified from the content image.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the content image, which was converted into a PDF, was displayed on the touch panel 130 of the terminal device 100. However, the format of the content image is not limited to PDF. For example, the content image may be in a format other than PDF, such as JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group), PNG (Portable Network Graphics), BMP (Bitmap), or TIFF (Tagged Image File Format). Furthermore, the image displayed on the touch panel 130 is not limited to the content image. For example, an image of printed material such as a flyer, brochure, newspaper, or magazine containing information about a product or service may be displayed on the touch panel 130, and the same processing may be performed.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the server 200 was requested to perform processing according to the procedure selected from the selection screen, but the request may also be made to a device or system other than the server 200, or the terminal device 100 may directly perform processing according to the procedure.

[0054] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the control units 120 and 230 execute programs to realize the functions of the terminal device 100 and the server 200, respectively. However, the terminal device 100 and the server 200 may also be configured with dedicated hardware to realize each function.

[0055] Furthermore, a terminal device 100 and a server 200 can be configured to realize each function by distributing a program for executing the operations of the above embodiment on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), MO (Magneto Optical Disc), or memory card, and installing the program on a computer. In cases where each function is realized through a division of labor between the OS (Operating System) and the application, or through cooperation between the OS and the application, only the parts other than the OS may be stored on the recording medium.

[0056] The present invention allows for various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of the invention. In other words, the scope of the invention is indicated by the claims, not by the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the equivalent significance of disclosure are considered to be within the scope of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0057] 1 Procedure support system, 100 Terminal device, 110 Communication unit, 120 Control unit, 130 Touch panel, 140 Storage unit, 200 Server, 210 Communication unit, 220 Storage unit, 221 Member DB, 222 Content DB, 223 Product DB, 224 Store DB, 230 Control unit, N1 Communication network, P1 Procedure selection screen, P2 Purchase method selection screen, P3 Delivery destination selection screen, P4 Payment method selection screen, P5 Inquiry content selection screen

Claims

1. A terminal device equipped with a display device, An image acquisition unit that acquires an image of a printed document, An image display unit that displays the acquired image on the display device, A designation operation reception unit that receives designation operations from a user to specify a product or service listed in the printed material from the displayed image, A selection screen display unit that superimposes on the aforementioned image and sequentially displays on the display device, in response to a selection operation by the user, each selection screen which has transparent or semi-transparent processing applied to select a procedure related to the aforementioned product or service specified by the aforementioned specified operation, A procedure execution unit that executes the process for performing the procedure selected on each of the aforementioned selection screens, A terminal device equipped with the following features.

2. Each of the above selection screens displays information about the product or service specified by the above specified operation. The terminal device according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned selection screens share a common layout. The terminal device according to claim 1.

4. The selection screen display unit displays different selection screens on the display device according to the type of product or service specified by the specified operation. The terminal device according to claim 1.

5. An image acquisition step in which a computer acquires an image of a printed document, The computer performs an image display step in which it displays the acquired image on a display device, The computer receives a designation operation from a user to designate a product or service listed in the printed material from the displayed image, A selection screen display step in which the computer sequentially displays on the display device, in response to a selection operation by the user, each selection screen that has been superimposed on the image and is transparent or semi-transparent for selecting a procedure relating to the product or service specified by the specified operation, A method for selecting a procedure that has the following characteristics.

6. A computer equipped with a display device, Image acquisition unit that acquires an image of a printed document. Image display unit that displays the acquired image on the display device, A designation operation reception unit that receives designation operations from a user to select a product or service listed in the printed material from the displayed image, A selection screen display unit that superimposes on the aforementioned image and sequentially displays on the display device, in response to a selection operation by the user, each selection screen which has transparent or semi-transparent processing applied to select a procedure related to the aforementioned product or service specified by the aforementioned specified operation, A procedure execution unit that executes the process for performing the procedure selected on each of the aforementioned selection screens. A program that makes it function as such.

Images