Information distribution printing system

Abstract

The present invention prevents or reduces situations where an advertisement cannot be printed despite winning a bid in response to a bid solicitation. An information distribution printing system 1 includes an advertisement provision server 100 that receives and distributes advertisement images managed by an advertisement management server 500. The information distribution printing system 1: in S5, transmits a bid request for an advertisement image to the advertisement management server 500; in S8, determines an advertisement image that is a successful bid from among advertisement images received from the advertisement management server 500 in response to the bid request transmitted in S5; in S30, acquires the advertisement image determined in S8 from the advertisement management server 500; in S35, executes printing of an image based on the advertisement image acquired in S30; in S45, S75, determines whether the printing executed in S35 has succeeded or failed; and if it is determined that the printing has succeeded, notifies, in S140, the advertisement management server 500 of a request for a compensation corresponding to the completion of the printing of the advertisement image, or if it is determined that the printing has failed, re-executes the image printing in S35.

Description

Information distribution printing system

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

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

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open 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, printing may fail due to some inconvenience or the like in the printing device. In this case, there is a problem that the advertiser of the advertisement misses the opportunity to obtain the effect of the advertisement.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an information distribution printing system that can prevent or reduce a situation where an advertisement cannot be printed despite winning a bid in response to a bid solicitation.

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an information distribution printing system comprising a printing device and a distribution information provision server that receives distribution information managed by a distribution information management server and distributes it to the printing device, the system comprising: a request transmission unit that transmits a request for bidding on distribution information to the distribution information management server; an information determination unit that determines specific distribution information to be awarded among the distribution information received from the distribution information management server in response to the request for bidding transmitted by the request transmission unit; a specific distribution information acquisition unit that acquires the specific distribution information determined by the information determination unit from the distribution information management server; a print execution unit that performs printing of a printable distribution image based on the specific distribution information acquired by the specific distribution information acquisition unit; a print success / failure determination unit that determines whether the printing performed by the print execution unit was successful or unsuccessful; a claim notification unit that, when the print success / failure determination unit determines that the printing was successful, notifies the distribution information management server of a claim for compensation corresponding to the completion of printing of the specific distribution information; and a print re-execution unit that, when the print success / failure determination unit determines that the printing was unsuccessful, re-executes printing of the printable distribution image.

[0007] In the information distribution and printing system of the present invention, a request transmission unit sends a bidding request to the distribution information management server, soliciting bids. In response to the bidding request, the information determination unit determines the specific distribution information that will be awarded the bid from among the distribution information received from the distribution information management server. The specific distribution information acquisition unit acquires the specific distribution information from the distribution information management server, and the print execution unit executes the printing of the print-ready distribution image based on the acquired specific distribution information. The print success / failure determination unit determines whether the executed print was successful or unsuccessful. If it is determined to be successful, the claim notification unit notifies the distribution information management server of a claim for compensation corresponding to the completion of printing of the specific distribution information. On the other hand, if it is determined to be unsuccessful, the print re-execution unit re-executes the printing of the print-ready distribution image. According to the present invention, even if the printing of the print-ready distribution image related to the winning bid fails, the printing is re-executed, thus improving the probability of successful printing. As a result, it is possible to prevent or reduce situations in which advertisements cannot be printed despite winning a bid.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent or reduce situations in which an advertisement cannot be printed despite having won a bid in response to a tender request.

[0009] This is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an information distribution printing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. 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. This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a reprint confirmation screen on the display unit of the terminal device. 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 version in which print data including advertising images is saved to the server. 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 version in which print data including advertising images is saved to the server. 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 version in which reprinting is automatically canceled after a certain amount of time has elapsed since printing was completed. This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a reprint cancellation confirmation screen on the display unit of the terminal device.

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

[0011] <Overall Configuration of 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 be configured to 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 collective term for multiple types of communication circuits is referred to as the communication unit.

[0012] <Terminal Device> The terminal device 300 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone owned by the user, and in this example 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 310 (see Figure 4 below), a control unit, an operation unit, a storage unit, and a communication unit, etc., which are 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 below. The user can input various instructions to the terminal device 300 by operating the operation unit.

[0013] <User Management Server> The user management server 400 manages user information via the terminal device 300 or the advertising server 100. The user management server 400 includes a control unit (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 causes it to print. The advertising server 100 is an example of an image distribution server, and the advertising image is an example of distribution information.

[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 and printing 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 with 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, 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 provider 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 provider server 100. The ad management server 500 is an example of a distribution 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 below. The various data 230 include the aforementioned printer ID and advertising images received from the advertising server 100, which are acquired from the terminal device of the successful bidder among the advertisers and transmitted from the advertising server 100. At least a portion of the above various data may be stored in the storage unit 115 of the advertising server 100. Alternatively, at least a portion of the original data may be stored in either the storage unit 215 of the printer 200 or the storage unit 115 of the advertising server 100, and a copy of that original data may be stored in the other of the two.

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

[0022] The cartridge holder 280 is configured to accommodate a cartridge 285. The cartridge 285 consists of multiple ink color cartridges, such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The cartridge holder 280 is 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 if there is a successful bid that meets the conditions, the winning advertisement image is distributed to the printer 200 and the advertisement is printed. At that time, the printer 200 may fail to print the winning advertisement due to some malfunction. The feature of this embodiment is to prevent or reduce the situation in which the advertisement cannot be printed despite winning the bid, thereby avoiding disadvantage to the winning bidder. The details of this process will be explained below with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figures 2 and 3 are sequence flows representing the control performed by the cooperation of the advertisement provision server 100, the advertisement management server 500, the printer 200, and the terminal device 300.

[0025] In Figure 2, first, in S5, the advertising server 100 determines the minimum bid price for soliciting bids for advertising images. This minimum bid price is, for example, uniquely predetermined and stored in the storage unit 115. In S5, the minimum bid price is determined based on the contents of the storage unit 115, and a bid request including this minimum bid price is sent to the advertising management server 500. The control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 that executes S5 is an example of a request transmission unit.

[0026] In response to the submitted bidding request, the ad management server 500 conducts an auction for suitable advertisements and solicits bids. At that time, the bidding request is for an advertisement image that meets predetermined conditions, including having a bid price equal to or higher than the minimum bid price.

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

[0028] In S8, the ad delivery server 100 determines, based on the content received in S7, whether or not there was a bid that met the winning conditions, and the bid that met the winning conditions is determined to be the winning advertisement. The winning conditions are, for example, that the bid price is the highest. In addition, the conditions for winning may be that the predetermined conditions requested in the bid request are met. The determined advertisement is an example of specific distribution information, and the control unit 110 of the ad delivery server 100 that executes S8 is an example of an information determination unit.

[0029] In S10, a "hold notification" is sent to the advertising management server 500 to inform advertisers who have submitted bids that meet the bidding conditions, i.e., the successful bidders, that their bids have been accepted and will be stored without being deleted. The advertising management server 500 then transmits this hold notification to the successful bidder's terminal device, etc. If there are multiple bids that meet the bidding conditions, multiple hold notifications may be sent.

[0030] In S15, a "defeat notification" is sent to the advertising management server 500 to inform advertisers who have submitted bids that do not meet the bidding conditions, i.e., non-winning bidders, that their bids will not be accepted because there is another winning bidder. The advertising management server 500 then 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.

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

[0032] In S30, a distribution image is created containing the winning bidder's advertisement image, that is, an information containing the advertisement image received from the advertisement management server 500 in S20. Alternatively, instead of the advertisement provider server 100 creating the distribution image, the advertisement management server 500 may create the distribution image, and the advertisement provider server 100 may acquire that distribution image. Alternatively, instead of creating the distribution image in S30, print data for printing the distribution image may be created using various page description languages. A print instruction containing the created distribution image is distributed to the printer 200. This print instruction may also include a command to instruct the printer 200 to stop printing if a printer error occurs in S75, as described later. The data such as the distribution image included in the print instruction transmitted in S30 is an example of print data corresponding to specific distribution information.

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

[0034] After S35, in S40, the advertising server 100 starts a waiting process to await the print progress notification described later.

[0035] Moving to Figure 3, in S45, the printer 200 determines whether the printing of the distribution image, including the advertisement image, which was started in S35, has been completed. If printing is complete, it is determined as Yes, and in S50, it is recognized as a successful print. In S51, the distribution image, including the advertisement image, which was stored in the storage unit 215 in S32, is deleted, and then the print progress notification sent in S90 (described later) is set to "Print Successful". Subsequently, in S90, the print progress notification indicating "Print Successful" is sent from the printer 200 and received by the advertisement provision server 100. Then, the processing of the flow in Figure 3 in the printer 200 is completed.

[0036] If printing is not completed in S45, a No judgment is made, and 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 prevents printing from being completed correctly, such as when the user is using the wrong size paper and printing cannot be done correctly, when there is a paper jam, or when the printer 200's consumables such as ink are depleted. If no printer error has occurred, S75 is judged as No, and the process returns to S45, and printing continues until S45 is judged as Yes when printing is complete. If a printer error has occurred, S75 is judged as Yes, and the process moves to S80. The control unit 210 of the printer 200 that executes S45 and S75 is an example of a print success / failure determination unit.

[0037] In S80, the print process is stopped while the distributed image, including the advertisement image stored in the storage unit 215 in S32, is retained. Subsequently, in S81, a failure notification is sent from the printer 200 and received by the terminal device 300. This failure notification includes information about the reason for the print failure, i.e., what kind of printer error occurred. Based on the failure notification received in S81, the terminal device 300 displays a reprint confirmation screen on the display unit 310 in S85 to ask the user whether or not to reprint the distributed image.

[0038] Figures 4(a) to 4(c) show examples of the reprint confirmation screen on the display unit 310. The example shown in Figure 4(a) is the display when the aforementioned incorrect paper size is used, and the message M1 "The advertisement was not printed correctly. Please check the paper size," along with the "Reprint" button 311 and the "Cancel" button 312, are displayed on the display unit 310. The example shown in Figure 4(b) is the display when the aforementioned paper jam occurs, and the message M2 "The advertisement printing was not completed. Please fix the PaperJam and try printing again," along with the same "Reprint" button 311 and "Cancel" button 312 as above, are displayed on the display unit 310. The example shown in Figure 4(c) is the display when the aforementioned printer 200 consumables are depleted, and the message M3 "The advertisement printing was not completed because the consumables were depleted. Please replenish the consumables and try printing again," along with the same "Reprint" button 311 and "Cancel" button 312 as above, are displayed on the display unit 310.

[0039] In all of the above screens, the "Reprint" button 311 and the "Cancel" button 312 function as the aforementioned operation units. When the "Reprint" button 311 is operated, S86 in Figure 3 becomes a Yes determination, and in S88, a reprint instruction is sent from the terminal device 300 and received by the printer 200 (see Figure 2). The "Reprint" button 311 is an example of a re-execution instruction receiving unit. As a result, in S35, as described above using Figure 2, the printer 200 starts printing the distributed image that was retained without being erased as described above, in other words, reprinting. The control unit 210 of the printer 200 that executes S35 at this time is an example of a print re-execution unit. After the reprint is executed in S35, the processing from S45 onwards is carried out as described above. When the "Cancel" button 312 is operated, S86 in Figure 3 becomes a No determination, and in S84, a print cancellation instruction is sent from the terminal device 300 and received by the printer 200. The "Cancel" button 312 is an example of a cancellation instruction receiving unit. When a print cancellation instruction is received by printer 200, the print process is stopped in the state of print failure due to a printer error in S80. Then, in S90, the print progress notification sent to the advertising server 100 is set to "Print Failure" to confirm the print failure. In this case, the print progress notification will also include information about the reason for the print failure, i.e., what kind of printer error occurred, and information such as whether the user did not operate the aforementioned "Reprint" button 311 in that state.

[0040] In S90, the printer 200 sends a print progress notification indicating the progress of the process in the printer 200, such as "print successful" or "print failed." The advertising server 100 receives the print progress notification from S90 after the waiting process starts in S40.

[0041] After that, in S117, it is determined whether the printing progress notification received from the printer 200 in S90 represents "printing failure". If the printing progress notification represents "printing failure", S117 determines Yes, and the process proceeds to S120 described below. If the printing progress notification represents "printing success", S117 determines No, and the process proceeds to S140.

[0042] In S140, in the advertisement providing server 100, a billing notice for claiming the remuneration corresponding to the advertisement printing is transmitted to the advertisement management server 500 for the advertiser who is the winning bidder who provided the advertisement image included in the distribution image transmitted in S30. The control unit 110 of the advertisement providing server 100 that executes S140 is an example of the billing notice unit.

[0043] In S145, the advertisement management server 500 that has received the transmitted billing notice transmits the billing notice to the terminal device or the like of the winning bidder.

[0044] In S150, the advertisement providing server 100 associates the distribution image transmitted to the printer 200 in S30 with the printer ID of the corresponding printer 200, the user ID of the corresponding user, the current time information, and the winning bid conditions when the advertisement image included in the distribution image was won, etc., and stores it in the storage unit 115 as a success history, and ends the process.

[0045] In S120, in the advertisement providing server 100, a winning bid cancellation notice for canceling the winning bid determined in S8 is transmitted and received by the advertisement management server 500. The advertisement management server 500 notifies the advertiser who is the winning bidder of the corresponding advertisement of the cancellation of the winning bid.

[0046] In S130, the advertisement providing server 100 associates the distribution image for which the winning bid cancellation was performed in S120 with the winning bid conditions when the advertisement image included in the distribution image was won, the above-mentioned failure reason information, the failure determination date and time, etc., and stores it in the storage unit 115 as a failure history, and ends the process.

[0047] <Effect of the Embodiment> As described above, in the information distribution printing system 1 of the present embodiment, a bid is solicited by transmitting a bid request to the advertisement management server 500 in S5, and among the advertisement images received from the advertisement management server 500 in response to the bid request, the winning advertisement image is determined in S8. An advertisement image is acquired from the advertisement management server 500 in S20, and printing of the acquired advertisement image is executed in S35. In S45 and S75, it is determined whether the printing started in S35 was successful or failed. If it is determined that the printing was successful, in S140, a request for payment of a reward corresponding to the completion of the printing of the advertisement image is notified to the advertisement management server 500, while if it is determined that the printing failed, S86 is determined to be Yes and the printing of the advertisement image is re-executed by returning to S35. According to the present embodiment, even if the printing of the advertisement image related to winning the bid fails in S35, the printing of the advertisement image can be re-executed by returning to S35 later, so that the success probability of printing can be improved. As a result, it is possible to prevent or reduce the situation where the advertisement cannot be printed despite winning the bid.

[0048] Also, in particular, in the present embodiment, when it is determined in S45 and S75 that the printing has failed, a "reprint" button 311 for receiving a manual instruction to re-execute the printing of the image is provided, and in S35, when a manual instruction is given by the "reprint" button 311, the printing of the advertisement image is re-executed. Thereby, when the printing of the advertisement image fails in S35, the user can select whether to execute the reprinting.

[0049] Also, in particular, in the present embodiment, when it is determined in S45 and S75 that the printing has failed, a "cancel" button 312 for receiving an instruction to cancel the printing of the image is provided, and in S35 returned from S88, when a cancel instruction is given by the "cancel" button 312, the printing of the advertisement image is canceled. Thereby, when the user does not wish to re-execute the printing when the printing of the advertisement image fails, the user can cancel the printing.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the advertising server 100 sends print data corresponding to the advertising image to the printer 200, the printer 200 receives the print data sent from the advertising server 100 and stores the advertising image in S32, prints the advertising image in S35 based on the stored print data, and if printing is successful, deletes the distribution image including the stored advertising image (S51), and if printing fails, retains the distribution image including the stored advertising image. By storing the print data in the printer 200 instead of in the servers 100 and 500, when reprinting is performed in S35 in the printer 200 after a printing failure, the stored print data can be used as is, and printing can be reexecuted without requiring any data transmission or reception with the servers 100 and 500.

[0051] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from its spirit and technical idea. Such modifications will be described in order below. The same reference numerals are used for parts equivalent to those in the above embodiments, and their descriptions will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0052] (1) When saving the distribution image (print data) including the advertisement image to the server, in the above embodiment, when reprinting after a printing failure, printing was performed using the distribution image stored in the printer 200 in S32, but it is not limited to this. That is, when reprinting, the distribution image including the advertisement image stored in the advertisement provision server 100 may be retrieved again and printed. In such a modified example, the sequence flow representing the processing flow executed by the cooperation of the advertisement provision server 100, the advertisement management server 500, the terminal device 300, and the printer 200 is shown in Figures 5 and 6, which correspond to Figures 2 and 3, respectively.

[0053] In Figure 5, S30' is provided instead of S30 in Figure 2, and S32' is provided instead of S32. After S17, in the advertising server 100, in S30', a print instruction is delivered to the printer 200, which includes, in addition to the distribution image created by arranging the advertising images received from the advertising management server 500 in the same way as S30 above, identification information of the distribution image.

[0054] In S32', the identification information of the distributed image received in S30' is stored in the storage unit 215. Subsequently, S35, similar to that in Figure 2, is executed in the printer 200. Note that the distributed image is not retained in the printer 200 after printing.

[0055] In Figure 6, S51' is provided instead of S51 in Figure 3, and S89 is newly provided after S81. If the printing of the advertisement image is successful and a Yes determination is made in S45, after S50 is performed, in S51' the identification information of the distributed image stored in the storage unit 215 in S32' is deleted. The subsequent processing is the same as in Figure 2. If the printing of the advertisement image fails and a No determination is made in S45, after S75, in S80 the printing process is stopped while retaining the identification information of the distributed image stored in the storage unit 215 in S32, and in S81 a failure notification is sent to the terminal device 300.

[0056] In terminal device 300, as in Figure 2, after receiving a failure notification in S81, the process proceeds through S85, and as in the same manner, the operation of the "Reprint" button 311 results in a Yes determination in S86, and in S88, a reprint instruction similar to that in Figure 2 is transmitted. In Figure 5, in printer 200, S29 is provided before S32', which corresponds to S32 in Figure 2, and S31' is also provided. When the reprint instruction in S88 is transmitted, S29 in Figure 5 results in a Yes determination, and in S31', a request for reacquisition of the distribution image including the advertisement image is transmitted from printer 200 along with the identification information of the distribution image already stored in S32', and is received by the advertisement provision server 100.

[0057] In the advertising server 100, after receiving the reacquisition request and the identification information of the delivered image in S31', the delivered image corresponding to the identification information of the acquired delivered image is sent again to the printer 200 in S30'. The printer 200 then, via S32', performs reprinting of the advertisement in S35 using the delivered image acquired in S30'.

[0058] The processing procedures in this modified example, other than those described above, are the same as those in Figures 2 and 3, and therefore their explanation is omitted.

[0059] As explained above, in this modified example, the advertising server 10 transmits a distribution image corresponding to the advertising image and identification information of the distribution image to the printer 200 in S30'. The printer 200 acquires the identification information transmitted from the advertising server 100 and stores it in S32', and prints the advertising image in S35 based on the received distribution image. If the print operation is successful, the identification information of the distribution image is deleted in S51'. If the print operation fails, the identification information of the distribution image is retained. As described above, by not saving the distribution image (print data) containing the advertising image as a backup in the printer 200 in case of print failure, but instead saving it on the advertising server 100 side for the printer 200 to acquire, the required storage capacity of the printer 200 can be reduced.

[0060] (2) When automatic reprint cancellation is set after a certain amount of time has elapsed since the completion of printing: In this modified example, the sequence flow representing the process performed by the cooperation of the advertising server 100, the advertising management server 500, the terminal device 300, and the printer 200 is shown in Figure 7, which corresponds to Figure 3.

[0061] In Figure 7, after receiving a failure notification in S81, similar to Figure 2, the terminal device 300 executes the newly added S82. In S82, it is determined whether a predetermined period has elapsed since the failure in S80. Until the predetermined period has elapsed, S82 is determined to be No, and the reprint confirmation screen 310 (see Figure 4 above) is displayed in S85, similar to Figure 2, and the process moves to the newly added S87.

[0062] In S87, it is determined whether the "Cancel" button 312 on the reprint confirmation screen 310 has been pressed. If the "Cancel" button 312 has been pressed, the result is Yes, and a cancellation instruction is sent to the printer 200 in S84, similar to Figure 2. If the "Cancel" button 312 has not been pressed, the result is No, and the process moves to S86, similar to Figure 2, where it is determined whether the "Reprint" button 311 has been pressed.

[0063] If the "Reprint" button 311 is pressed, the result is determined to be Yes, and the process moves to S88, similar to Figure 2, and the same process is executed thereafter. If the "Reprint" button 311 is not pressed, the result is determined to be No, and the process returns to S82, and the same process is repeated. If the predetermined period has elapsed during this repetition, S82 is determined to be Yes, and in the newly added S83, a reprint cancellation confirmation screen is displayed on the display unit 310.

[0064] Figure 8 shows an example of the reprint cancellation confirmation screen on the display unit 310. As shown in Figure 8, in this example, the message M4 "Due to a printing error, the advertisement printing could not be completed." and an "OK" button 321 are displayed on the display unit 310.

[0065] Returning to Figure 7, after the above display in S83, the process moves to S84, and thereafter the same processing as described above is carried out.

[0066] The processing procedures in this modified example, other than those described above, are the same as those in Figures 2 and 3, and therefore their explanation is omitted.

[0067] According to this modified example, if neither the "Reprint" button 311 nor the "Cancel" button 312 on the reprint confirmation screen illustrated in Figures 4(a) to (c) is pressed on the terminal device 300 when a print failure occurs, a timeout process can be initiated after a predetermined period has elapsed since the print failure, and the reprint can be automatically canceled. Alternatively, the printer 200 may determine when the predetermined time has elapsed. In this case, the printer 200 should automatically cancel the print if it does not receive a reprint instruction within the predetermined time after the print failure.

[0068] (3) In the above embodiment described using Figures 2 and 3, and the modified example (1) described using Figures 5 and 6, when a print failure occurred, the system waited for the user to manually press the "Reprint" button 311 on the reprint confirmation screen before proceeding with the subsequent reprint process. However, the system is not limited to this. That is, even without manual operation by the user after a print failure, the advertising server 100, advertising management server 500, terminal device 300, and printer 200 can work together to detect that the error has been resolved and automatically reprint the advertising image. In this case as well, the effect of improving the success rate of printing can be obtained by re-executing the printing of the advertising image.

[0069] Furthermore, in the above, the printer 200 made a determination in S75 as to whether a printer error had occurred and whether printing had failed, and enabled reprinting if it had failed, but it is not limited to this. That is, the determination of whether a printer error occurred in the printer 200 and printing failed or whether printing was successful may be made on the server side, such as the advertising server 100, based on predetermined information transmitted from the printer 200 and obtained. In this case, the server that makes the determination is an example of a printing success / failure determination unit.

[0070] Furthermore, although the advertising server 100 has been described as a single device in the above explanation, multiple devices may work together to perform the function of an advertising server 100.

[0071] Furthermore, the sequence flows shown in Figures 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 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.

[0072] 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.

[0073] Furthermore, although not to be exemplified individually, the present invention may be implemented with various modifications without departing from its spirit.

[0074] 1. Information Distribution and Printing System 100. Advertisement Provision Server (Example of a distribution provision server) 110. Control Unit 200. Printer (Example of a printing device) 311. "Reprint" Button (Example of a re-execution instruction receiving unit) 312. "Cancel" Button (Example of a cancellation instruction receiving unit) 500. Advertisement Management Server (Example of a distribution management server)

Claims

1. An information distribution printing system comprising a printing device and a distribution information provision server that receives distribution information managed by a distribution information management server and distributes it to the printing device, the system comprising: a request transmission unit that sends a request for bidding on distribution information to the distribution information management server; an information determination unit 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 on distribution information sent by the request transmission unit; a specific distribution information acquisition unit that acquires the specific distribution information determined by the information determination unit from the distribution information management server; a print execution unit that executes printing of a printable distribution image based on the specific distribution information acquired by the specific distribution information acquisition unit; a print success / failure determination unit that determines whether the printing executed by the print execution unit was successful or unsuccessful; a claim notification unit that, when the print success / failure determination unit determines that the printing was successful, notifies the distribution information management server of a claim for compensation corresponding to the completion of printing of the specific distribution information; and a print re-execution unit that, when the print success / failure determination unit determines that the printing was unsuccessful, re-executes printing of the printable distribution image.

2. The information distribution printing system according to claim 1, further comprising: a re-execution instruction receiving unit that receives a manual instruction to re-execute the printing of the printable distribution image when the printing success / failure determination unit determines that the printing has failed, wherein the print re-execution unit is configured to re-execute the printing of the printable distribution image when the re-execution instruction receiving unit receives the manual instruction.

3. The information distribution printing system according to claim 1, further comprising: a cancellation instruction receiving unit that receives a cancellation instruction for printing the printable distribution image when the print success / failure determination unit determines that the printing has failed, wherein the print re-execution unit is configured to stop printing the printable distribution image when the cancellation instruction receiving unit receives the cancellation instruction.

4. The information distribution printing system according to claim 2, wherein the distribution information providing server comprises the request transmission unit, the information determination unit, the specific distribution information acquisition unit, and the request notification unit, and the printing device comprises the print execution unit, the print success / failure determination unit, and the print re-execution unit.

5. The information distribution printing system according to claim 4, wherein the distribution information providing server transmits print data corresponding to the specific distribution information to the printing device, the printing device acquires and stores the print data transmitted from the distribution information providing server, executes printing of the printable distribution image based on the stored print data, deletes the stored print data if the executed printing is successful, and retains the stored print data if the executed printing fails.

6. The information distribution printing system according to claim 5, wherein the printing device is configured to re-execute the printing of the printable distribution image using the stored printing data if the executed printing fails.

7. The information distribution printing system according to claim 4, wherein the distribution information providing server transmits print data corresponding to the specific distribution information and identification information of the print data to the printing device; the printing device acquires and stores the print data and identification information transmitted from the distribution information providing server, and prints the print distribution image based on the stored print data; if the executed printing is successful, it deletes the stored print data and identification information; and if the executed printing fails, it deletes the stored print data and retains the identification information.

8. The information distribution printing system according to claim 7, wherein the printing device is configured such that, if the executed printing fails, it transmits the stored identification information to the distribution information provision server to obtain the corresponding print data, and then uses the obtained print data to re-execute the printing of the print distribution image.

Images