Distribution information providing server and information distribution printing system

Abstract

The present invention prevents delays and complications in billing processing by determining a printing failure early when an advertisement cannot be printed despite a successful bid in response to an invitation to bid. A control unit 110 of an advertisement providing server 100 transmits a bid request for an advertisement to an advertisement management server 500 in S5, determines a successful bid advertisement among advertisements received from the advertisement management server 500 in response to the bid request in S8, acquires an advertisement image of the successful bid advertisement in S20, and distributes a distribution image for printing based on the advertisement image to a printer 200 in S30. After determining the successful bid advertisement in S8, the control unit 110 determines whether or not successful bid cancellation conditions for withdrawing the successful bid for the successful bid advertisement are met in S23, S55, S95, S100, S110, and S117, and, if it is determined that the successful bid cancellation conditions are met, transmits to the advertisement management server 500 a successful bid cancellation notification for withdrawing the successful bid for the successful bid advertisement in S120.

Description

Distribution Information Providing Server and Information Distribution Printing System

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

[0002] Conventionally, as described in, for example, Patent Document 1, a technique is known in which bids for advertisements attached to an image of a printed matter printed by a printing device are solicited, a target advertisement is determined based on bid results from a plurality of advertisers, and charging corresponding to the bid amount of the advertisement is executed.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-140250

[0004] In the technique disclosed in the above-cited Document 1, for example, when attempting to print an advertisement that has been successfully bid according to the bid amount, there may be a state where printing is impossible due to some inconvenience in the printing device. When it is in a state where printing is impossible, there is a problem that the advertiser of the advertisement misses the opportunity to obtain the effect of the advertisement and the charging process is delayed or complicated.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a distribution information providing server and an information distribution printing system that can prevent the charging process from being delayed or complicated by quickly determining a printing failure when an advertisement cannot be printed despite winning the bid in response to a bid solicitation.

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a distribution information providing server equipped with a control unit that receives distribution information managed by a distribution information management server and distributes it to a printing device, wherein the control unit is configured to perform: a request transmission process that transmits a request for bidding on distribution information to the distribution information management server; an information determination process that determines specific distribution information to be awarded among the distribution information received from the distribution information management server in response to the request for bidding transmitted in the request transmission process; a specific distribution information acquisition process that acquires the specific distribution information determined in the information determination process; a distribution process that distributes print distribution information based on the specific distribution information acquired in the specific distribution information acquisition process to the printing device; a withdrawal condition determination process that determines whether or not the conditions for withdrawing the award for

[0007] The control unit of the distribution information provision server of the present invention transmits a request for distribution information to the distribution information management server in the request transmission process. In the information determination process, the control unit determines which specific distribution information will be awarded the bid from the distribution information management server in response to the request for distribution information transmitted in the request transmission process. In the specific distribution information acquisition process, the control unit acquires the specific distribution information determined in the information determination process. In the distribution process, the control unit distributes the print-ready distribution information based on the specific distribution information acquired in the specific distribution information acquisition process to the printing device. After determining the specific distribution information in the information determination process, the control unit determines in the withdrawal condition determination process whether the conditions for withdrawing the bid for the specific distribution information have been met. In the withdrawal information transmission process, if the withdrawal condition determination process determines that the conditions for withdrawing the bid have been met, the control unit transmits withdrawal information to the distribution information management server to withdraw the bid for the specific distribution information. As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible to determine early whether printing will fail or not after making a request for distribution information and before distributing the print-ready distribution information to the printing device. Therefore, if an advertisement cannot be printed despite winning a bid, the printing failure can be confirmed early and the winning bid can be withdrawn, preventing delays or complications in the billing process.

[0008] According to the present invention, in cases where an advertisement cannot be printed despite winning a bid in response to a tender request, the printing failure can be confirmed early, thereby preventing delays or complications in the billing process.

[0009] This is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the information distribution printing system according to the embodiment. This is a sequence flow showing an example of the processing flow executed by the cooperation of the advertising server, advertising management server, terminal device, and printer. This is a sequence flow showing an example of the processing flow executed by the cooperation of the advertising server, advertising management server, terminal device, and printer in a modified example in which the conditions for canceling a successful bid are determined based on information other than status information.

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to an information distribution and printing system that distributes advertising information from a server to a printer for printing.

[0011] <Overall Configuration of Information Distribution Printing System> Figure 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of the information distribution printing system 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the information distribution printing system 1 includes an advertising server (SSP: Supply Side Platform) 100, a printer 200, a terminal device 300, a user management server (DMP: Data Management Platform) 400, and an advertising management server (DSP: Demand Side Platform) 500. Servers 100, 400, 500, printer 200, and terminal device 300 are each equipped with a communication unit and can communicate with each other via the network NT. The network NT includes at least one of the following: the Internet, LAN (Local Area Network), and WAN (Wide Area Network). The communication unit may include multiple types of communication circuits for connecting to the network NT. In this case, devices connected to the network NT may communicate with multiple other devices using different communication circuits. In this embodiment, the term "communication unit" is used as a general term for multiple types of communication circuits.

[0012] <Terminal Device> The terminal device 300 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone owned by the user, and in this example, is connected to the network NT via wireless communication. The terminal device 300 can be any suitable terminal other than the printer 200, and may be a tablet PC, notebook PC, desktop PC, etc., in addition to a smartphone. Alternatively, the terminal device 300 may be a portable terminal or a stationary terminal installed in karaoke boxes or various stores for song selection, menu selection, product browsing, etc. The terminal device 300 has a display unit, control unit, operation unit, storage unit, communication unit, etc. (not shown). Various programs are stored in the storage unit. The control unit executes the various programs stored in the storage unit. The various programs include programs that execute the processes shown in the flows in Figures 2 and 3 described later. The user can input various instructions to the terminal device 300 by operating the operation unit.

[0013] <User Management Server> The user management server 400 manages user information via the terminal device 300. The user management server 400 includes a control unit (not shown), a storage unit, a communication unit, etc.

[0014] <Advertising Server> The advertising server 100 is a server installed and managed by, for example, the manufacturer of the printer 200. The advertising server 100 receives advertising images from the advertising management server 500 at predetermined timings. The advertising server 100 distributes the acquired advertising images to the printer 200 and initiates printing. The advertising server 100 is an example of a distribution information provider server.

[0015] In detail, the advertising server 100 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 115, a communication unit 140, etc. The control unit 110, storage unit 115, and communication unit 140, etc. are connected via a bus 105 to enable information transmission and reception. The storage unit 115 is composed of, for example, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, HDD, etc. The storage unit 115 stores various programs 120 and various data 130. The various programs 120 include an information distribution program that executes the control contents of the advertising server 100 as shown in the flows in Figures 2 and 3 described later, and the various data 130 include the printer ID of the printer 200, user ID, advertising image, etc.

[0016] The control unit 110 is a device that performs data processing, such as a processor like a CPU. The control unit 110 executes various programs stored in the storage unit 115. The control unit 110 performs various processes, including data communication to the printer 200, terminal device 300, user management server 400, and advertising management server 500, which are connected to the network NT. The communication unit 140 includes hardware such as a NIC (Network Interface Card) for connecting to Ethernet (registered trademark), is connected to the network NT, and communicates with the printer 200, terminal device 300, user management server 400, and advertising management server 500.

[0017] <Advertising Management Server> The advertising management server 500 transmits advertising images for printing by the printer 200 to the advertising provision server 100. The advertising management server 500 has a control unit (not shown), a storage unit, a communication unit, etc., and in this example, it receives bid requests from the advertising provision server 100 via the communication unit. Multiple advertiser terminal devices or servers (not shown) are connected to the network NT, and the control unit of the advertising management server 500 executes an auction corresponding to the bid request for advertising images submitted by these advertisers and acquires suitable advertising images by bidding on the auction. When a successful bid that meets the predetermined conditions of the auction is made, the control unit of the advertising management server 500 acquires the corresponding advertising image from the terminal device, etc., of the successful bidder advertiser. The acquired advertising image is transmitted from the advertising management server 500 to the advertising provision server 100 via the communication unit, and the receiving advertising provision server 100 further transmits it to the printer 200 for printing. The ad delivery server 100 may obtain the ad images from the ad management server 500, or the ad management server 500 may obtain ad images from another external server and send them to the ad delivery server 100. The ad management server 500 is an example of a distribution information management server.

[0018] The servers 100, 400, and 500 described above may each consist of a single standalone "server," or each may be composed of multiple servers. Alternatively, at least two of the functions of these servers 100, 400, and 500 may be provided by a single standalone "server."

[0019] <Printer> Printer 200 is assigned the aforementioned printer ID. Printer 200 includes a control unit 210, a storage unit 215, a display unit 240, an operation unit 250, a communication unit 260, a printing unit 270, etc. The control unit 210, storage unit 215, display unit 240, operation unit 250, communication unit 260, and printing unit 270 are connected via bus 205 to enable information transmission and reception. Printer 200 is an example of a printing device.

[0020] The storage unit 215 is composed of, for example, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, HDD, etc. The storage unit 215 stores various programs 220 and various data 230. The various programs 220 include, for example, a program that executes the control contents of the printer 200 according to the flow shown in Figures 2 and 3, which will be described later. The various data 230 include the aforementioned printer ID and advertising images received from the advertising server 100, which are acquired from the terminal device of the successful bidder among the advertisers and transmitted from the advertising server 100. At least a portion of the above various data may be stored in the storage unit 115 of the advertising server 100. Alternatively, at least a portion of the original data may be stored in either the storage unit 215 of the printer 200 or the storage unit 115 of the advertising server 100, and a copy of the original data may be stored in the other of the two.

[0021] The control unit 210 is a data processing device, such as a processor such as a CPU. The control unit 210 executes various programs stored in the storage unit 215. The display unit 240 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, capable of displaying various information. The operation unit 250 is, for example, a keyboard or buttons, and accepts user input. The user can input various instructions to the printer 200 by operating the operation unit 250. The communication unit 260 is connected to the network NT and can communicate with the advertising server 100, the advertising management server 500, the user management server 400, and the terminal device 300. The printing unit 270 includes a printing engine and, using a transport mechanism (not shown), removes and transports printing paper from a paper tray, while forming and printing an image on the paper using an inkjet method in this example. A laser printing engine may also be used.

[0022] The cartridge holder 280 is configured to accommodate the cartridge 285. The cartridge 285 consists of multiple ink color cartridges, such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The cartridge holder 280 is provided with an ink level sensor (not shown) capable of detecting the remaining amount or consumption of each of the multiple ink color cartridges by a known method.

[0023] The printing unit 270 performs printing while consuming the ink in the cartridge 285. The reader / writer 290 is provided in the cartridge holder 280. The reader / writer 290 reads and writes cartridge information to the IC chip provided in the cartridge 285 housed in the cartridge holder 280. For example, the reader / writer 290 detects the type of cartridge 285 housed in the cartridge holder 280 by reading the cartridge information from the IC chip. The amount of ink used or remaining in the cartridge 285 may also be detected by the above reading by the reader / writer 290.

[0024] <Features of the Embodiment> As described above, in this embodiment, an auction is held for the advertisement to solicit bids, and when an advertiser who meets the conditions wins the bid, the winning advertisement image is distributed to the printer 200 and the advertisement is printed. At that time, there is a possibility that printing may not be possible due to some malfunction in the printer 200. If printing is not possible, the advertiser of the advertisement will miss the opportunity to obtain the effect of the advertisement, and the billing process will be delayed or complicated. The feature of this embodiment is to prevent the billing process from being delayed or complicated by confirming the printing failure early when the printer 200 is unable to print the advertisement despite having won the bid in response to the solicitation of bids. The details of this process will be explained below with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figures 2 and 3 are sequence flows representing the control performed by the cooperation of the advertisement provision server 100, the advertisement management server 500, the printer 200, and the terminal device 300.

[0025] In Figure 2, first, in S1, it is determined whether the delivery activation conditions for initiating the delivery of advertising images to the printer 200 have been met. An example of a delivery activation condition is that the time reserved in advance by the user of the printer 200 as their advertising delivery time has arrived.

[0026] In other words, for example, in this embodiment, the user can set an advertising delivery schedule for themselves on a setting screen displayed on the display unit through appropriate operation on the terminal device 300. The results of setting the advertising delivery times for all users using the printer 200 are stored in the storage unit 115 of the advertising server 100 as a correlation associated with the user ID. In S1, based on this correlation, it is determined whether the current time corresponds to an advertising delivery time for any user.

[0027] Alternatively, instead of having the user reserve an ad delivery time in advance and then delivering the ad image to the printer 200 at that time, the ad image may be delivered to the printer 200 in response to a print request from the user via the printer 200's operation unit 250 or terminal device 300. In this case, the delivery activation condition would be, for example, that the print request from the user is received by the ad delivery server 100.

[0028] In S2A, the advertising server 100 outputs a request to the printer 200 to obtain status information, and in S2B, the advertising server 100 obtains the status information from the printer 200 in response. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 in S2B is an example of the status information acquisition process.

[0029] Examples of status information include the following: Information indicating whether printer 200 is online or offline. Information indicating whether printer 200 is in a print-unavailable error state, such as being out of paper, having a paper jam, or having its cover open. Information indicating whether the type of paper stored in printer 200's paper tray is intended for printing advertising images. Whether printer 200 is in a state where good print quality can be ensured. Specifically, for example, in the case of an inkjet printer 200, information indicating whether or not printing smudges will occur based on the results of ejection detection. Information indicating whether printer 200 is in a so-called print-waiting state, such as having another print job already running. Information indicating whether printer 200 is in a print-ready management state. For example, if a limit on the number of advertising images to be printed has been set in advance, information indicating whether or not all of the target advertising images can be printed, or if a limit on the number of printable colors has been set in advance, information indicating whether or not the limited printable colors are included in the advertising images. Information indicating whether or not there is a sufficient amount of consumables remaining in printer 200. For example, information indicating whether the remaining amount of ink or toner is sufficient to print the advertisement image.

[0030] Although detailed descriptions were omitted in the above explanation using Figure 1, the various status information described above is acquired by known methods, for example, using appropriate signals, detection mechanisms, or detection programs in the printer 200, and stored in the storage unit 215. Furthermore, whether the printer 200 is online or offline is determined, for example, if status information cannot be acquired by S2A and S2B, it is determined to be in an offline state; otherwise, it is determined to be in an online state.

[0031] In S5, a bidding request for the advertisement, including the minimum bid price, is sent to the advertising management server 500. The minimum bid price is uniquely determined in advance, for example, when soliciting bids for the advertisement image, and is stored in the storage unit 115. In S5, the minimum bid price is determined based on the contents of the storage unit 115, and a bidding request including it is sent to the advertising management server 500. The process executed in S5 is an example of a request transmission process, and the control unit 110 that executes S5 is an example of a request transmission unit. The advertisement image is an example of distribution information.

[0032] In response to the submitted bidding request, the ad management server 500 conducts an auction for suitable ads and solicits bids. At that time, the bidding request is for an ad image that meets predetermined conditions, including having a bid price equal to or higher than the minimum bid price.

[0033] In S7, the bidding results from the auction conducted in response to the bidding request sent in S5 are received from the advertising management server 500. The received content includes the advertising image submitted by the bidder if there was a bid that met the specified conditions requested in the bidding request. If there were no bids that met the specified conditions requested in the bidding request, that fact is included in the received content.

[0034] In S8, based on the received information from the advertising management server 500 in S7 in response to the bidding request sent in S5, it is determined whether there is a bid that meets the winning bid conditions, and the bid that meets the winning bid conditions is determined to be the winning advertisement. The winning bid conditions are, for example, that the bid price is the highest. In addition, the conditions for winning the bid may be that the predetermined conditions requested in the bidding request are met. The advertisement image of the determined advertisement is an example of specific distribution information, the processing performed in S8 is an example of information determination processing, and the control unit 110 that performs S8 is an example of an information determination unit.

[0035] In S9, after the advertisement is decided in S8, it is determined whether the conditions for canceling the bid for the decided advertisement have been met. In this example, after the advertisement image is decided in S8, and before the hold notification is sent in S10 (described later), it is determined whether the conditions for canceling the bid have been met. Specifically, as with S2A and S2B above, status information at this timing is obtained again from the printer 200. Based on the latest status information obtained, it is determined whether the printer 200 is in a state where it cannot receive and print the advertisement image. For example, if the printer 200 is offline, has a print-unavailable error, the type of paper stored is not for printing the advertisement image, is not in a state where good printing can be ensured, is in a print-waiting state, is not in a printable management state, or does not have enough consumables remaining, it is determined that the conditions for canceling the bid have been met. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertisement provision server 100 in S9 is an example of the bid-not-be-successful condition determination process. Also, the bid-not-be-successful condition determined in S9 is an example of the bid-not-be-successful condition.

[0036] If it is determined in S9 that the conditions for canceling the successful bid have been met, the result is Yes, and the next S10 is not executed, and the processing of the flow in Figure 2 at the ad provider server 100 ends. At this time, although not shown in the diagram, for example, a "defeat notification" (see S15 below) to notify all advertisers who have made bids that their bids will not be accepted may be sent to the ad management server 500. Alternatively, a "bid cancellation notification" to notify all advertisers who have made bids that their bids will be canceled may be sent to the ad management server 500. If it is determined in S9 that the conditions for canceling the successful bid have not been met, the result is No, and the process moves to S10.

[0037] In S10, a "hold notification" is sent to the advertising management server 500 to inform advertisers who have submitted bids that meet the bidding conditions, i.e., successful bidders, that their bids will be accepted and stored without being deleted. The advertising management server 500 that receives this hold notification then transmits it to the successful bidder's terminal device, etc. If there are multiple bids that meet the bidding conditions, multiple hold notifications may be sent. The hold notification is an example of a notification of a delivery decision for specific distribution information, and the processing performed by the control unit 110 of the advertising provision server 100 in S10 is an example of notification processing.

[0038] In S15, a "defeat notification" is sent to the advertising management server 500 to inform advertisers who have submitted bids that do not meet the bidding conditions, i.e., non-winning bidders, that their bids will not be accepted because there is another winning bidder. The advertising management server 500 then transmits this defeat notification to the terminal device of the non-winning bidder. If there are multiple bids that do not meet the bidding conditions, multiple defeat notifications may be sent.

[0039] In S17, an advertising image request is sent to the advertising management server 500 requesting an advertising image from the successful bidder who sent a hold notification in S10. If there are multiple successful bidders, multiple advertising images may be requested. In response to the above advertising image request, in S20 the advertising management server 500 sends the advertising image from the successful bidder, which is received and acquired by the advertising provision server 100. The acquired advertising image is stored, for example, in the storage unit 115. The process executed in S20 is an example of a specific distribution information acquisition process, and the control unit 110 that executes S20 is an example of a specific distribution information acquisition unit.

[0040] In S23, after the advertisement is decided in S8, it is determined whether the conditions for canceling the successful bid for the decided advertisement have been met. In this example, after acquiring the advertisement image in S20 and before distributing the print-ready distribution image in S30 (described later), it is determined whether the conditions for canceling the successful bid have been met. Specifically, as with S2A and S2B above, status information at this timing is acquired again from the printer 200. Based on the latest acquired status information, it is determined whether the printer 200 is in a state where it cannot receive and print the advertisement image. The determination is the same as in S9. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertisement provision server 100 in S23 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination process, and the control unit 110 that executes S23 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination unit. Also, the successful bid cancellation conditions determined in S23 are an example of successful bid withdrawal conditions.

[0041] In S25, a deadline is set, which is one of the criteria for determining the success or failure of printing in the printer 200 as described above. In this embodiment, three types of deadlines are provided. The first deadline is the first predetermined deadline by which the advertising provision server 100 requests payment for distribution fees from the advertising management server 500. That is, if the advertisement image distributed to the printer 200 is printed, the successful bidder is charged a fee as compensation for printing the advertisement (see S140 below). In this embodiment, in S25, the first predetermined deadline can be set as a time limit until printing in the printer 200 is successful and the fee is charged. An example of the first predetermined deadline is within 10 minutes from the start of the timer count in S27 below. The first predetermined deadline may be stored in the storage unit 115 in advance, or it may be set upon instruction from the advertising management server 500. The other deadlines are the second and third predetermined deadlines by which the printing of the advertisement should be completed. In other words, in cases where the value of an advertisement would significantly decrease if printing is not completed within a certain time range, such as in advertisements for the sale of fresh food, advertisers may make strict time requirements. In this embodiment, to address this, in S25, the second and third predetermined deadlines can be set as time limits for the time it takes for the printer 200 to complete printing the advertisement. The differences in how the second and third predetermined deadlines are used in processing will be described later. An example of setting the second predetermined deadline is, for example, setting it based on the remaining time, such as within 24 hours from the start of the timing count in S27 described later, or setting it based on the end time, such as by 10 a.m. The second and third predetermined deadlines may be stored in the storage unit 115 in advance, or they may be set based on instructions from the advertisement management server 500. They may also be attached to the advertisement image transmitted from the advertisement management server 500 in S20. Furthermore, the second and third predetermined deadlines may be the same date and time, or the third predetermined deadline may be a later date and time than the second predetermined deadline. In S25, all of the above-mentioned first, second, and third predetermined deadlines may be set, or only one or two of them may be set.

[0042] In S27, the timer countdown for the deadline set in S25 begins.

[0043] In S30, a delivery image with the winning bidder's advertisement image arranged, that is, a print delivery image with information including the advertisement image acquired from the advertisement management server 500 in S20, is created. Note that the print delivery image may be the advertisement image itself acquired through bidding, or appropriate information may be added thereto. For example, the case where a plurality of advertisements are collectively delivered in one print image is also included. Instead of the advertisement providing server 100 creating the print delivery image, the advertisement management server 500 may create the print delivery image, and the advertisement providing server 100 may acquire the print delivery image. Also, instead of creating the print delivery image in S30, print data for printing the print delivery image may be created in various page description languages. A print instruction including the created print delivery image is delivered to the printer 200. Note that this print instruction may include a command for instructing the printer 200 to cancel the printing process when a print cancellation instruction according to S60, S97, S115, etc., described later is input, or when a printer error occurs in S75 described later. The print delivery image is an example of print delivery information, and the process executed in S30 is an example of a delivery process.

[0044] In S35, the print instruction transmitted in S30 is received by the printer 200 and stored in the storage unit 215. Subsequently, printing of the print delivery image included in the print instruction is started by the printing unit 270. That is, in S35, the print delivery image based on the advertisement image acquired in S20 is printed. Note that in S30, the advertisement providing server 100 may deliver the print delivery image to the printer 200 via another relay device. Also, instead of delivering the print delivery image to the printer 200, a page description language for printing the print delivery image or a link destination of the delivery image may be transmitted to the printer 200. When the link destination of the print delivery image is transmitted, the printer 200 accesses the link destination to acquire the print delivery image and executes printing by the printing unit 270. The control unit 110 that executes S35 is an example of a printing unit.

[0045] After S35, in S40, the advertising server 100 starts a waiting process to await a print progress notification indicating the progress of the processing of print-ready images in the printer 200. A print progress notification is an example of progress information.

[0046] Moving to Figure 3, in S45, it is determined whether the printer 200 has completed printing the print-ready distribution image, including the advertisement image, which was started in S35. If printing is complete, the result is "Yes" and the process moves to S50, where the print progress notification sent in S90 (described later) is set to "Printing successful". Subsequently, in S90, the printer 200 sends the print progress notification indicating "Printing successful" and it is received by the advertisement provision server 100.

[0047] In the advertising server 100, after the waiting process starts in S40, S55 determines whether the content of the print progress notification received in S40 satisfies predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distributed image. For example, if the printer 200 completes the printing but it is outside the time limit, or if the printer 200 is offline and cannot send a print command, and the print progress notification cannot be obtained within the time limit, it is determined that the content of the print progress notification does not satisfy predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distributed image. It should be noted that determining that the above predetermined conditions are not met corresponds to determining that the bid cancellation conditions have been met. Specifically, in S55, it is determined whether the elapsed time from S27 has reached the first predetermined deadline set in S25 and a timeout has occurred while the above print progress notification has not been received. For example, if the first predetermined deadline arrives before the print progress notification sent in S90 is received for reasons such as printing not being completed, S55 is determined to be Yes, and in S60 a print cancellation command is sent from the advertising server 100 and received by the printer 200. After S60, processing moves to S120, which will be described later. In the printer 200 that received the print cancellation instruction, S62 is determined to be Yes, and in S30, the print distribution image received from the advertising server 100 is deleted from the storage unit 215, and the printing process is canceled. Then, the processing of the flow in Figure 3 in the printer 200 is completed. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 in S55 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination process, and the control unit 110 that executes S55 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination unit.

[0048] If the first predetermined period has not arrived in the advertisement providing server 100, S55 is determined to be No, and the process proceeds to S95. In S95, it is determined whether or not the content of the print progress notification waited for in S40 satisfies a predetermined condition corresponding to the completion of printing of the print distribution image. For example, if printing has been completed in the printer 200 but it is outside the restricted time, or if the printer 200 is in an offline state and cannot send a print instruction, and thus the print progress notification cannot be acquired within the time limit, it is determined that the content of the print progress notification does not satisfy the predetermined condition corresponding to the completion of printing of the print distribution image. Note that determining that the above-mentioned predetermined condition is not satisfied corresponds to determining that the winning cancellation condition is established. Specifically, in S95, while the above-mentioned print progress notification is not received, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time from S27 has reached the second predetermined period set in S25 and a timeout has occurred. For example, if the second predetermined period arrives before the print progress notification sent in S90 is received due to reasons such as printing not being completed yet, S95 is determined to be Yes, and a print cancellation instruction is sent from the advertisement providing server 100 in S97 and received by the printer 200. After S97, the process proceeds to S120, which will be described later. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertisement providing server 100 in S95 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination process, and the control unit 110 that executes S95 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination unit.

[0049] Further, if a print cancellation operation is performed on the terminal device 300 by the user before printing is completed as described above, a corresponding print cancellation instruction is sent from the terminal device 300 in S65 and received by the printer 200.

[0050] In printer 200, if a print cancellation instruction is received in S97 or S65 as described above, S70 following S62 is determined to be Yes, and processing moves to S80, which will be described later. In S80, the print distribution image received from the advertising server 100 in S30 is deleted from the storage unit 215, and the printing process is canceled. The print progress notification is then set to "Print Failed". In this case, the print progress notification will also include information on the reason for the print failure, such as whether it was due to the arrival of the second processing deadline or a cancellation by the user.

[0051] If no print cancellation instruction is received, S70 is determined to be No, and processing moves to S75. In S75, it is determined whether or not a printer error has occurred. A printer error is a condition in which some malfunction occurs that makes it difficult to start or continue printing, such as a paper jam, depletion of ink consumables, or the printer 200's communication unit 260 being offline and not connected to the network NT. If no printer error has occurred, S75 is determined to be No, and processing returns to S45, and printing continues until S45 is determined to be Yes upon completion of printing.

[0052] When S75 is judged as Yes and transitions to S85, the content of the print progress notification will be set to "Printing not completed". In this case, the print progress notification will also include information about the reason why printing was not completed, such as whether it was due to a printer error or a paper jam.

[0053] Subsequently, in S90, a print progress notification indicating the processing progress at the printer 200, such as "Printing successful," "Printing failed," or "Printing not completed," is sent from the printer 200 and received by the advertising server 100.

[0054] On the other hand, in the advertising server 100, if the second processing deadline has not arrived in S95, a No determination is made, and processing moves to S100. In S100, it is determined whether the content of the print progress notification received in S40 satisfies predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distributed image. For example, if the printer 200 completed printing but it was outside the time limit, or if the printer 200 was offline and could not send a print command, and therefore the print progress notification could not be obtained within the time limit, it is determined that the content of the print progress notification does not satisfy predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distributed image. It should be noted that determining that the above predetermined conditions are not met corresponds to determining that the conditions for canceling the successful bid have been met. Specifically, in S100, it is determined whether the print progress notification sent from the printer 200 in S90 was received, but the elapsed time from S27 at the time of receipt reached the third predetermined deadline set in S25, resulting in a timeout. If the third predetermined deadline has arrived, S100 is determined to be Yes, and processing moves to S120 described below. If the specified deadline has not passed, S100 is determined to be No, and processing moves to S110. The processing performed by the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 in S100 is an example of withdrawal condition determination processing, and the control unit 110 that performs S100 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination unit.

[0055] In S110, it is determined whether the content of the print progress notification received in S40 satisfies predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distributed image. For example, if the content of the print progress notification indicates a printer error such as out of paper, paper jam, out of ink, or being offline and unable to start printing within a predetermined time, it is determined that the above predetermined conditions are not met. Also, if the content of the print progress notification indicates, for example, that the user has canceled the printing process midway, or that the printer has run out of paper, a paper jam, or out of ink during printing, it is determined that the above predetermined conditions are not met. Note that determining that the above predetermined conditions are not met corresponds to determining that the conditions for canceling the successful bid have been met. Specifically, in S110, it is determined whether the print progress notification received from the printer 200 in S90 was a notification indicating "printing not completed". If the print progress notification indicated "printing successful" or "printing failed", it is determined to be No, and the process moves to S117 described below. If the print progress notification indicates "printing not completed," the response is "Yes," and in S115, a print cancellation instruction is sent from the advertising server 100 and received by the printer 200. After S115, the process moves to S120, which will be described later. In the printer 200, if a print cancellation instruction is received from the advertising server 100 in S115, the print distribution image sent in S30 is deleted from the storage unit 215, and the print process is stopped. Then, the processing of the flow in Figure 3 in the printer 200 is completed. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 in S110 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination process, and the control unit 110 that executes S110 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination unit.

[0056] In S117, it is determined whether the content of the print progress notification received in S40 satisfies predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distributed image. For example, if the content of the print progress notification indicates a printer error such as out of paper, paper jam, out of ink, or being offline and unable to start printing within a predetermined time, it is determined that the above predetermined conditions are not met. Also, if the content of the print progress notification indicates, for example, that the user has canceled the printing process midway, or that the printer has run out of paper, a paper jam, or runs out of ink during printing, it is determined that the above predetermined conditions are not met. Note that determining that the above predetermined conditions are not met corresponds to determining that the conditions for canceling the successful bid have been met. Specifically, in S117, it is determined whether the print progress notification received from the printer 200 in S90 was a notification indicating "print failure". If the print progress notification indicated "print failure", S117 is determined to be Yes, and the process moves to S120 described below. If the print progress notification indicates "printing successful," it is judged as No, and processing moves to S140. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 in S117 is an example of a condition determination process, and the control unit 110 that executes S117 is an example of a condition determination unit.

[0057] In S140, the advertising server 100 sends a billing notification to the advertising management server 500 to the advertiser, who is the successful bidder and provided the advertising image included in the print-ready distribution image transmitted in S30, in order to bill them for the compensation corresponding to the printing of the advertisement.

[0058] In S145, the advertising management server 500, which received the transmitted invoice notification, sends the invoice notification to the terminal device of the successful bidder.

[0059] In S150, the advertising server 100 stores the print-ready distribution image sent to the printer 200 in S30 in the storage unit 115 as a success history, linking it with the printer ID of the corresponding printer 200, the user ID of the corresponding user, the current time information, and the bidding conditions when the advertising image contained in the print-ready distribution image was successfully bid on, and then terminates processing.

[0060] In S120, following S23, S60, S97, S100, S115, and S117, the advertising server 100 sends a bid cancellation notice to withdraw the aforementioned successful bid determined in S8, and this notice is received by the advertising management server 500. That is, if it is determined in S23, S55, S95, S100, S110, and S117 that the conditions for canceling the successful bid have been met, a bid cancellation notice to withdraw the successful bid for the advertising image is sent to the advertising management server 500. The advertising management server 500 then notifies the advertiser, who is the successful bidder for the advertisement in question, of the cancellation of the successful bid. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 in S120 is an example of a withdrawal information transmission process, and the control unit 110 that executes S120 is an example of a withdrawal information transmission unit. The bid cancellation notice is an example of successful bid withdrawal information.

[0061] In S130, the advertising server 100 stores the print-to-distribution image whose bid was canceled in S120 in the storage unit 115 as a failure history, linking it with historical information such as the bid conditions when the advertising image included in the print-to-distribution image was won, the aforementioned failure reason information, and the date and time the failure was confirmed, and then terminates the process.

[0062] <Effects of the Embodiment> As described above, in this embodiment, the control unit 110 of the advertising provision server 100 sends an advertising bid request to the advertising management server 500 in S5. In S8, the control unit 110 determines which advertisement will be successfully bid on from among the advertisements received from the advertising management server 500 in response to the bid request sent in S5. In S20, the control unit 110 acquires the advertising image of the successful bid advertisement determined in S8. In S30, the control unit 110 delivers a printable distribution image based on the advertising image acquired in S20 to the printer 200. After determining the successful bid advertisement in S8, the control unit 110 determines in S23, S55, S95, S100, S110, and S117 whether or not the conditions for canceling the successful bid for the successful bid advertisement have been met. In S120, if the control unit 110 determines that the conditions for canceling the successful bid have been met in S23, S55, S95, S100, S110, and S117, it sends a successful bid cancellation notice to the advertising management server 500 to withdraw the successful bid for the successful bid advertisement.

[0063] As a result of the above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to determine early whether or not printing will fail after a bid request has been made. Therefore, if an advertisement cannot be printed despite having won a bid in response to the bid solicitation, the printing failure can be confirmed early and the winning bid can be withdrawn, preventing delays or complications in the billing process.

[0064] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 acquires status information of the printer 200 in S2B. In S9 and S23, the control unit 110 determines, as a condition for canceling a successful bid, whether the status information acquired in S2B indicates that the printer 200 is in a state where it cannot receive and print the print distribution image. According to this embodiment, since the printer 200 is determined to be in a state where it cannot print the advertisement based on the status information of the printer 200, it is possible to accurately determine whether printing will fail or not.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 110 of the advertising provision server 100 sends a pending notification regarding the successful bid advertisement to the advertising management server 500 in S10. The control unit 110 further determines in S9 whether the conditions for canceling the successful bid have been met before sending the delivery decision notification in S10, and if the conditions for canceling the successful bid have been met in S9, S10 is not executed. According to this embodiment, it is possible to determine whether printing will fail or not at a timing before sending the pending notification. Therefore, if an advertisement cannot be printed despite having bid in response to the bidding request, the printing failure can be confirmed early and the successful bid can be withdrawn, preventing delays or complications in the billing process.

[0066] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 determines in S23 whether the bid cancellation condition has been met, after acquiring the advertising image in S20 and before distributing the print-ready distribution image in S30. According to this embodiment, it is possible to determine whether printing will fail or not at the timing after acquiring the advertising image and before distributing the print-ready distribution image. Therefore, if an advertisement cannot be printed despite having won a bid in response to a call for bids, the printing failure can be confirmed early and the bid can be withdrawn, preventing delays or complications in the billing process.

[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 waits in S40 for a print progress notification indicating the progress of processing of the print-ready distribution image in the printer 200. In S55, S95, S100, S110, and S117, the control unit 110 determines whether the content of the print progress notification received in S40 satisfies predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print-ready distribution image. According to this embodiment, for example, if an error occurs during the printing of an advertisement or if the completion of printing is delayed, the printing failure can be confirmed and the winning bid can be withdrawn. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or reduce situations in which an advertisement cannot be printed despite having won a bid in response to a call for bids.

[0068] <Modifications> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from its spirit and technical idea. Such modifications will be described in order below. The same reference numerals are used for parts equivalent to those in the above embodiments, and their descriptions will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0069] (1) Determining the bid cancellation condition based on information other than status information In the above embodiment, the determination of whether or not the bid cancellation condition is met was made in S9 and S23 based on the status information obtained in S2B, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the steps S3A and S3B may be provided instead of the aforementioned S2A and S2B. Alternatively, the steps S3A and S3B may be provided in addition to the aforementioned S2A and S2B. In S3A, the advertising server 100 outputs a request to the printer 200 to acquire distribution restriction information, and in S3B, the advertising server 100 acquires the distribution restriction information from the printer 200 in response. The process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 in S3B is an example of the distribution restriction information acquisition process.

[0070] Examples of delivery restriction information include the following: Information regarding the number of times advertising images have been delivered to the printer 200. For example, information indicating whether the maximum number of times advertising images have been delivered within a predetermined period has been reached. Information related to the timing of delivery to the printer 200. For example, if a period during which advertising images can be printed by the printer 200, that is, the time when the advertising images should be printed from the printer 200's perspective, is predetermined, information indicating whether the current time falls within that printable period.

[0071] The above-mentioned distribution restriction information is acquired by known methods using appropriate signals, detection mechanisms, or detection programs in the printer 200 and stored, for example, in the storage unit 215. The above-mentioned distribution restriction information may be pre-stored in the storage unit 215 of the printer 200, or it may be stored in the advertising provision server 100 or the advertising management server 500.

[0072] In this modified example, in S9 and S23, as a condition for canceling the successful bid, the latest distribution restriction information at this time is obtained, similar to S3A and S3B above, and it is determined whether the obtained distribution restriction information is in a state where the distribution of printable distribution images to the printer 200 is not permitted. In this case as well, the process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising provision server 100 in S9 is an example of a rejection condition determination process, and the successful bid cancellation condition determined in S9 is an example of a rejection condition. Furthermore, the process executed by the control unit 110 of the advertising provision server 100 in S23 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination process, the control unit 110 executing S23 is an example of a withdrawal condition determination unit, and the successful bid cancellation condition determined in S23 is an example of a successful bid withdrawal condition.

[0073] In this modified example, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 acquires distribution restriction information related to the printer 200 in S3B. In S9 and S23, the control unit 110 determines, as a condition for canceling the successful bid, whether the distribution restriction information acquired in S3B indicates a state where the distribution of printable images to the printer 200 is not permitted. According to this modified example, since the printer 200 is determined to be unable to print advertisements based on the distribution restriction information related to the printer 200, it is possible to accurately determine whether printing will fail before distributing the printable images to the printer 200.

[0074] (2) Other In the above, as an example, an example was described in which no charge is made to the advertising management server 500 in S140 and a bid cancellation notice as bid withdrawal information is sent from the advertising provider server 100 to the advertising management server 500 in S120, but the case is not limited to this. That is, for example, if the above charge has been made and payment for the charge has been made by an external server, the advertising provider server 100 may send an instruction to order a refund of the charge as bid withdrawal information to the advertising management server 500. Alternatively, instead of this refund instruction, the advertising provider server 100 may send a compensation instruction to order a reduction in other charges to be collected from the external server as bid withdrawal information to the advertising management server 500. Alternatively, if the above charge has been made but payment for the charge has not yet been made by an external server, the advertising provider server 100 may send an instruction to order the payment to be stopped as bid withdrawal information to the advertising management server 500. In either case, the transmission process performed by the advertising provider server 100 to the advertising management server 500 is an example of the withdrawal information transmission process.

[0075] Furthermore, the above explanation has used the example of a case where the process of transmitting the bid withdrawal information is performed in real time each time an advertisement that becomes the winning bid in S8 of Figure 2 is determined, but it is not limited to this. That is, the process of transmitting the bid withdrawal information may be performed by aggregating data at predetermined intervals, such as once at the beginning of each month.

[0076] Furthermore, in the above scenario, the advertising server 100, terminal device 300, and printer 200 perform their respective processes to deliver the advertising images. However, the specific processes performed by each of these devices—that is, how their roles are divided—can be freely changed as appropriate. For example, it is possible for the printer 200 to perform all of these processes.

[0077] Furthermore, the sequence flows shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4 do not limit the present invention to the procedures shown in the above flows, and additional or deleted procedures or changes in order are permitted without departing from the spirit and technical idea of ​​the invention.

[0078] In addition to what has already been described above, the methods described in the above embodiments and their respective modifications may be used in appropriate combinations.

[0079] Furthermore, although not to be exemplified individually, the present invention may be implemented with various modifications without departing from its spirit.

[0080] 1. Information Distribution and Printing System 100. Advertisement Provision Server (Example of an information distribution provision server) 110. Control Unit 115. Storage Unit 200. Printer (Example of a printing device) 500. Advertisement Management Server (Example of an information distribution management server)

Claims

1. A distribution information providing server comprising a control unit, which receives distribution information managed by a distribution information management server and distributes it to a printing device, wherein the control unit is configured to perform: a request transmission process that transmits a request for bidding on distribution information to the distribution information management server; an information determination process that determines which specific distribution information will be awarded among the distribution information received from the distribution information management server in response to the request for bidding transmitted in the request transmission process; a specific distribution information acquisition process that acquires the specific distribution information determined in the information determination process; a distribution process that distributes print distribution information based on the specific distribution information acquired in the specific distribution information acquisition process to the printing device; a withdrawal condition determination process that determines whether or not the conditions for withdrawing the award for 2. The control unit is further configured to perform a status information acquisition process for acquiring status information of the printing device, wherein the withdrawal condition determination process determines, as the condition for withdrawing the successful bid, whether the status information acquired in the status information acquisition process indicates that the printing device is in a state where it cannot receive the print distribution information and print. This is the distribution information providing server according to claim 1.

3. The control unit is further configured to perform a distribution restriction information acquisition process for acquiring distribution restriction information relating to the printing device, wherein the withdrawal condition determination process determines, as a condition for withdrawing the successful bid, whether the distribution restriction information acquired in the distribution restriction information acquisition process is in a state where the distribution of the print distribution information to the printing device is not permitted.

4. The distribution information providing server according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to perform a notification process that sends a notification of a decision to distribute the specific distribution information to the distribution information management server, and the control unit is further configured to perform a rejection condition determination process that determines whether or not the conditions for rejecting the successful bid have been met before sending the notification of the decision to distribute in the notification process, and if the conditions for rejecting the successful bid have been met in the rejection condition determination process, the notification process is not performed.

5. The distribution information provider server according to claim 1, wherein the control unit, in the withdrawal condition determination process, determines whether the bid withdrawal condition has been met after obtaining the specific distribution information in the specific distribution information acquisition process and before distributing the printable distribution information in the distribution process.

6. The distribution information providing server according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to perform a waiting process for waiting for progress information indicating the progress of processing of the print distribution information in the printing device, and in the withdrawal condition determination process, it determines whether the content of the progress information waited for in the waiting process satisfies predetermined conditions corresponding to the completion of printing of the print distribution information.

7. An information distribution and printing system comprising: a request transmission unit for transmitting a request for bidding on distribution information; an information determination unit for determining specific distribution information that will be awarded a bid from among the distribution information received in response to the request for bidding transmitted by the request transmission unit; a specific distribution information acquisition unit for acquiring the specific distribution information determined by the information determination unit; a printing unit for printing a distribution image for printing based on the specific distribution information acquired by the specific distribution information acquisition unit; a withdrawal condition determination unit for determining whether the conditions for withdrawing the award for the specific distribution information have been met, after the determination of the specific distribution information by the information determination unit and before the printing of the distribution image for printing by the printing unit; and a withdrawal information transmission unit for transmitting a withdrawal for withdrawing the award for the specific distribution information when the withdrawal condition determination unit has determined that the conditions for withdrawing the award have been met.

8. The information distribution and printing system according to claim 7, wherein the withdrawal condition determination unit is configured to determine, as a condition for withdrawing the successful bid, whether or not the status information of the printing unit indicates that the printing unit is in a state where it cannot receive and print the printable distribution image.

Images