JP2001350834A - Print order controller and print order control system and print order method and computer readable storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a picture processing system capable of easily fitting a picture to be composited into a template picture. SOLUTION: A sensor server 3 performs at least one of change, addition, and erasure to information related with stored print orders in response to an input from a terminal 1. For example, a customer performs access from the terminal to a control server in order to trace the contents of the print order given by himself or herself and which level a print work related with this is put in. Thus, it is possible to perform correction when any order miss is generated. Also, it is possible to change, add, and erase the print order as necessary, and to easily increase or decrease the number of prints.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a print order management apparatus, a print order management system, and a print order method capable of changing or adding a print order.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digital cameras and home digital printers have been remarkably popularized by improvements in image processing technology. Along with this, the users who use the digital images are becoming more conscious of digital images, and are being used for various purposes such as creating home pages on the Internet and digital printing. On the other hand, of course, output centers and mini-labs (small-scale laboratories) that provide image print services and large laboratories that perform centralized processing are also increasing the services that handle digital image data, and the service variations are diverse.

In recent years, with the spread of the Internet,
In addition to getting information from the homepage, shopping, enjoying downloading images and software, and sending e-mails have become extremely common.

Here, as a method of providing a photo-related service to a customer, a scanner or a printer is arranged in a large lab or an output center, a photographic image taken by the customer is stored in an image server, and the customer connects the image server to the Internet. There has been proposed a network business that provides various services such as access to prints, uploading of images, and downloading of images through access. As an advantage of this network business, you can place orders while staying at home and receive services unique to digital images,
The benefits are great for end users, and it is expected that the service will grow in the future.

[0005]

Unlike the case where a print order is made interactively with a clerk at a store, when a customer himself creates a print order at a terminal, a person unfamiliar with the operation is particularly improper. May create an appropriate print order. For example, the desired number of prints is incorrectly set to the upper limit of 9
Even if the user inputs 99 sheets, the terminal does not judge this as abnormal and orders 999 prints as they are. In such a case, the customer becomes aware of his or her mistake in ordering at the time of receiving the print, but even if it is a mistake of the customer, it is problematic to charge a large print fee.

On the other hand, there are cases where a customer wants to change the number of prints or the like after a print order. In such a case, it is possible to change the print order before the print work is performed, but if this is instructed to the lab by telephone etc., if there is a similar print order, it should not be changed There is a risk that the print order may be changed by mistake. If the print operation has already been performed, the print order cannot be changed, but it is convenient if the order can be easily re-ordered.

[0007] Furthermore, in the photo New Year's card, the photo is pasted on the postcard. However, there are cases where the number of prints is insufficient due to an order or an operation mistake, and in such a case, the order can be easily re-ordered. It is convenient.

[0008] In view of the problems of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a print order management apparatus, a print order management system, and a print order method that can easily change or add the contents of a print order. .

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print order managing apparatus, comprising: means for acquiring or storing information relating to a print order and information relating to the progress of a printing operation with respect to the information relating to the print order. And a print order management device comprising means for displaying all or a part of the information relating to the progress of the print operation, wherein the information relating to the stored print order includes an order including deletion and reordering. It is characterized in that information can be corrected.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print order management system comprising: means for acquiring or storing information relating to a print order and information relating to the progress of a print operation for the information relating to the print order, and a storage device connected to a network. A terminal connected to the storage means via the network and displaying a part or all of the information on the print order and the information on the progress of the printing operation stored in the storage means; A print order management system comprising: a storage unit capable of correcting order information including deletion and reordering of stored information relating to a print order in response to a request from the terminal. It is characterized by the following.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print ordering method which reads out and displays information on the print order stored in a storage device, and utilizes at least a part of the read out information on the print order to create a new print order. It is characterized in that information on a print order is generated and a reorder is performed.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print order management apparatus comprising means for acquiring or storing information relating to a print order and information relating to the progress of a printing operation with respect to the information relating to the print order. A print order management device provided with a means for displaying all or a part of information on work progress, wherein information on stored print orders is deleted,
Since it is possible to correct order information including re-order, for example, it is possible to track the contents of the print order ordered by the customer and the stage of the printing work related to it, and if there is an order mistake, This is convenient because print orders can be deleted or reordered as necessary. It should be noted that the print order is not limited to an order for a print service, but refers to an order for a broadly defined image recording service including other services such as writing of image data on a medium.

Further, when the progress of the printing operation reaches a predetermined stage, it is made impossible to make a request to correct the order information including deletion and reordering of the information relating to the printing order. It is possible to prevent an unreasonable situation such as interrupting a print job.

If the order information including deletion and reordering of the information relating to the print order could not be corrected, there is provided a means for notifying the correction requester that the correction was not performed. Is preferred.

[0015] Further, the stored information relating to the print order is read and displayed, and at least a part of the read information relating to the print order is used to generate information relating to a new print order and re-order. This is preferable because it saves the trouble of creating an order from the beginning.

It is preferable that information on the print order is acquired by reading a portable storage medium on which the information on the print order is recorded, and a corresponding print operation is performed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print order management system comprising: means for acquiring or storing information relating to a print order and information relating to the progress of a printing operation for the information relating to the print order, and a storage device connected to a network. A terminal connected to the storage means via the network and displaying a part or all of the information on the print order and the information on the progress of the printing operation stored in the storage means; A print order management system comprising: a storage unit capable of correcting order information including deletion and reordering of stored information relating to a print order in response to a request from the terminal. Therefore, for example, the customer accesses the storage device from the terminal to receive the print order ordered by the customer. Since the volume, the printing operation for it can track whether the any stage, Hodokoseru modifications such as when there is order mistake.

Further, it is preferable that the terminal is capable of searching for information related to a specific print order stored in the storage device. For example, if a unique identification number or the like for a customer is stored in association with each print order, it is possible to easily search for the print order ordered by the customer.

When the progress of the printing operation is at a predetermined stage, the information on the printing order is
By making it impossible to make a request for correction of order information including deletion and reordering, it is possible to prevent an unreasonable situation such as interrupting a print job that has already started.

Further, when the order information including deletion and reordering of the information relating to the print order cannot be corrected, means for notifying the correction requester of the failure of the correction can be provided. preferable.

[0021] Further, the information relating to the print order stored in the storage device can be transferred to the terminal.
This is preferable because the storage device side can grasp it.

Further, it is preferable that the terminal reads a portable storage medium on which the information on the print order is recorded, thereby acquiring the information on the print order and executing a corresponding print operation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print ordering method for reading and displaying information relating to the print order stored in a storage device, and utilizing at least a part of the read information relating to the print order to create a new one. Since the information about the print order is generated and the order is re-ordered, it is convenient to save the trouble of creating the order from the beginning.

Further, when the reordering of the print is performed, it is preferable to stop the printing operation based on the print order from which the reorder was made.

It is preferable that the reordering of the prints is performed by updating information relating to the print order from which the reordering was made.

Further, it is preferable that when the progress of the printing operation reaches a predetermined stage, updating of the information relating to the printing order is prohibited.

It is preferable that the portable storage medium storing the information on the print order is read by an order-manageable terminal to acquire the information on the print order and execute a corresponding print operation.

The network referred to here is a network in which computer systems, terminals, and data communication equipment are interconnected. The connection may be connected by a wire such as a dedicated line or a public line, may be connected wirelessly through a communication satellite or the like, or may be connected in a complex form thereof. The so-called Internet is also included in the network.

Further, the "image forming apparatus" referred to herein is:
A device having a function of creating digital image data, for example, a device having a function of processing image data, a device for writing image data to a recording medium, or a device capable of outputting image data.

An apparatus for writing image data to a recording medium includes a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a Z
IP, DAT, CD-R, CD-ROM, MO, DV
D, a device having a function of writing to various recording media such as a PCMCIA card or a mass storage device such as a hard disk. Usually, in order to write image data, it is preferable that a dedicated device for writing the recording medium is connected to the personal computer either internally or externally.

Specific examples of the recording medium writing device include an MO drive, a ZIP drive, a DAT drive, a CD-R drive, a DVD-RAM drive, and an MO drive.
A drive and a PCMCIA card reader.

An apparatus capable of outputting image data refers to an apparatus having a function of printing digital image data on a print or a hard copy. The image output device,
Although there is no particular limitation, a digital printer using a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, an inkjet printer, a sublimation printer, a thermal transfer printer, a laser printer, and the like are preferable. Particularly, a printer using a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, an ink jet printer, and the like are preferable because a high-quality image can be obtained. A plurality of these devices or a plurality of these devices may be connected.
It doesn't matter.

On the other hand, the management server is a computer having a function capable of providing a network image service, such as order reception, image browsing, image storage, and customer information management, via a network. The management server may be installed in a lab, or may be installed in a different place from the lab. Further, the function may be provided to the image processing terminal.

[0034]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network print service system including a print order management system according to the present embodiment. Customer side terminal 1, lab server 2 with hard disk, and center server (print order management device) as storage device with hard disk
Reference numeral 3 is connected to a network N such as the Internet. In the lab, the lab server 2 is connected to the image processing terminal 4 and the image forming apparatus 5 via a LAN or the like.

Next, a mode in which a print service is performed using the present system will be described. The customer activates software (pre-installed) for ordering prints at the customer terminal 1 and accesses the center server 2 specified by the URL to obtain service information. Here, the service information refers to information indicating print service contents such as postcard creation, business card creation, and printing as it is, and its price, delivery date, and the like.

The customer can create print order information by selecting desired items from these menus and inputting necessary items as appropriate. More specifically, for example, when the user wants to create a postcard using his / her own image, the customer can select the creation of a postcard from a menu. In such a case, the customer first selects a template for image composition. Normally, a basic template exists in a CD-ROM in which print order creation software is stored, so it may be used. However, if there is no preference, refer to a predetermined URL, It is possible to download the low-resolution image as one of the service information.

Next, the customer reads in advance image information that is a digital image from a medium such as a digital camera,
It can fit into the specified position of the template.

Thereafter, the customer inputs personal information such as address, name, telephone number and the like, and information for creating a postcard is completed. Here, it is preferable that the designation of the template or the like is not image information but a code (including a number) that can be recognized in common with the laboratory, since the data amount is small, and thus it is preferable. The information of the embedded image data, the information of characters, and the print size and the number of prints are described together in the form of a text, and such information is collectively referred to as print order information (that is, information about the print order).
It is also conceivable that the print order information is stored in a portable storage medium such as a CD-R, and is read and input.

The print order information is transferred from the customer side terminal 1 as a means for input to the lab server 2 and, if necessary, processed by the image processing terminal 4 to perform image synthesis and the like. At 5, printing is performed. Such prints can be made in stores or by mail,
It is provided to customers.

By the way, it is convenient to know to what stage the printing work has progressed for the print order made by the customer. In the present embodiment, the lab server 2
Transfers the information to the center server 3 when the print order information is received. Further, the lab server 2 as a means for inputting, based on information from the image processing terminal 4 and the image forming apparatus 5, for example, indicates that specific print order information is under image synthesis processing, image print preparation is being performed, Information on the progress of the printing operation such as the completion of the image printing is sequentially transmitted to the center server 3.

The center server 3 as a management server, based on information transferred from the lab servers 2 of a plurality of labs,
A database relating to print order management is constructed on the hard disk (means for storing) of the center server 3. The customer can access the center server 3 from the terminal 1 via the network N and search the database. The terminal 1 can display the searched data on a display 1a which is a display unit.

FIGS. 2 to 7 are views showing examples of display on the display 1a of the terminal 1. FIG. When the software installed in the terminal 1 is started, the screen shown in FIG. 2A is displayed on the display 1a, and the searcher clicks the buttons B10 and B20 to display the store order management screen or the Internet order management screen. You can choose either one. For more detailed information, click button 10 to see FIG.
The screen of (b) is displayed on the display 1a, and the button B
By clicking on any one of 11 and B12, it is possible to select either an order from a simple terminal or an order from a normal personal computer. Regardless of which button is clicked, the screen switches to the Internet order management screen shown in FIG. The button can be clicked using a mouse or keyboard (not shown) (the same applies hereinafter).

In response to the click of the button B11 or B12, the terminal 1 automatically accesses the center server 3 based on the URL stored in advance and searches the database therein for the terminal 1. Display 1
In FIG. 3A, a list of specific print orders as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed. In the display procedure, first, only the date is displayed, and when a specific date is selected and the detail display button B100 is clicked, details of the order on that day are displayed (FIG. 4).
More specifically, the list includes an order date and time, an order number, an orderer's name, a telephone number, a design number, the number of prints, a printer type, whether or not the order has been confirmed, and whether or not image rendering (synthesis) has been completed. No, whether or not print preparation is completed, whether or not printing is completed, whether or not test printing has been performed, estimated shipping date, actual shipping date, print delivery location, and print fee information. Contains.

When a specific order is clicked on the detailed display screen shown in FIG. 4, the corresponding display on the list is inverted to indicate that the order has been selected. When clicked, the details of the order for a particular order are displayed in the center of the screen, superimposed on a list. still,
When the button B101 at the upper left of the screen is clicked, the screen is switched to the order date display screen of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, on the display 1a of the terminal 1, 16 buttons B1 to B1 are displayed below the screen.
B16 is displayed. Here, when the customer clicks and selects a specific order and then clicks the button B1, as shown in FIG. 5A, the screen is switched to display an image G (or a composite image) related to the print order. 1a, which allows the customer to check if the image on the order is correct. The displayed image can be entirely displayed while scrolling with the scroll bar SB1. Also, if you want additional work,
By clicking the work call button B1a, it is possible to link to the screen shown in FIG. 5B. On the other hand, when the confirmation button B1b is clicked, the screen returns to the original screen shown in FIG. 3 or 4.

When the customer clicks the button B2 on the screen shown in FIG. 3 or 4, the screen is switched to the work call screen as shown in FIG. 5B. On such a screen, the customer
Editing of images (adding, deleting, transforming, enlarging, reducing, rotating, and, if images overlap, order of overlapping, changing templates, inserting characters, etc.) can be performed. Here, for example, when the button B2a is clicked, the screen is switched to a print request screen (FIG. 5C).

In the screen shown in FIG. 5C, the button B2a
The desired number of prints is input by the operation of a, and new print order information relating to the image processed on the screen shown in FIG. 5B is transferred from the terminal 11 to the lab server 2 by clicking the button B2ab. By clicking on B2ad, new print order and media recording order information relating to the image processed on the screen shown in FIG. 5 (b) is transferred from the terminal 11 to the lab server 2. Note that in FIG. 5C, the button B2ac is displayed only when the work screen (FIG. 5B) is called from the order management screens shown in FIGS. Image synthesis). When rendering is completed, the screen returns to the original order management screen.

When the customer clicks button B3, the selected print order can be deleted. Once a print order is deleted, no print is created. Therefore, following the click of the button B3, a confirmation message of "Do you want to delete" is displayed to request confirmation, or input of a password or the like that only the person knows is requested, and deletion is performed only when these are satisfied. May be performed. If the selected print order has already been printed, the message "Printed and cannot be deleted" is displayed (reporting or notifying the requester of deletion rejection) to the button B3 by clicking the button B3. , The print request can be rejected.

When the customer clicks button B4, information about the selected order is output from, for example, a printer (not shown) connected to terminal 1, so that the customer can save it as a record.

When the customer clicks the button B5, a print order can be made again for the selected order that has been printed. In the state where printing is not completed, a message such as "printing is being prepared" is displayed on the display 1a, so that it is possible to take an action such as increasing the number of prints for an order being prepared for printing.

When the customer clicks button B6, FIG.
The screen is switched to the screen shown in FIG. 9E, and the number of test prints desired is input by operating the button B6a. By clicking the button B6b, the input number of test prints can be performed. It is preferable that the test print can be performed in any state of the order. When the test print preparation is completed,
"Pre" is displayed in the test print column on the Internet order management screens of FIGS. 3 to 5, and "Done" is displayed when the test print is completed.

When the customer clicks button B7, a slip can be printed out for the fee and the like for the selected print order.

When the customer clicks button B8, FIG.
The screen is switched to the search screen of (d), and after inputting the item to be searched, the button B8a is clicked. From the list displayed on the Internet order management screen of FIGS.
Alternatively, necessary print order information can be searched from the database of the center server 3. For example, if the customer has a unique identification number, it is possible to search a part or all of the print order made by the customer using the identification number.

When the customer clicks the button B9, the automatic rendering is performed for all the images related to the print order, and all the print orders whose rendering state is "not completed" become "completed". On the other hand, when the customer clicks the button B10, automatic rendering is performed only for the selected print order, and the print order whose rendering state is “not completed” becomes “done”.

When the customer clicks the button B11, data can be stored as a backup for the selected print order. In this case, a screen shown in FIG. 5G is displayed, and a desired backup name and backup storage location can be designated.

When the customer clicks the button B12, the print order stored as a backup can be read. In this case, a screen shown in FIG. 5G is displayed, and necessary data can be read by inputting a backup name and a backup storage location.

When the customer clicks the button B13, an automatic print instruction can be issued for all print orders, and all print orders for which the rendering state is "not ready" or the print preparation state is "not ready" become "completed". on the other hand,
When the customer clicks the button B14, automatic printing can be performed for the selected print order, and the print order whose rendering state is “not yet” or whose print preparation state is “not yet” becomes “done”.

When the customer clicks the button B15, a mode for performing the manual processing is set, and when the customer clicks the button B16, the screen returns to the start screen (FIG. 2A).

When the button 20 is clicked on the screen shown in FIG. 2A, the screen shown in FIG. 2C is displayed on the display 1a, and when one of the buttons B21 and B22 is clicked,
You can select either a high-performance printer or a regular printer. Regardless of which button is clicked, the screen switches to the storefront order management screen shown in FIG.

In FIG. 6, the list displayed on the in-store order management screen includes the order date and time, order number, orderer's name, telephone number, print type, design number, number of prints,
The information includes information on a print size, a fee, whether or not rendering (synthesis) of an image has been completed and whether or not printing has been completed.

In the store order management screen, the buttons B7, B9 to B9 displayed on the Internet order management screen are displayed.
B12 is not displayed because it is unnecessary. Button B1
In response to the click of B6, B8, B13 to B16, for example, the screen is switched as shown in FIG. 7, and the same processing as the processing by the corresponding button operation on the Internet order management screen can be performed.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the above-described embodiments, and that modifications and improvements can be made as appropriate. is there.

[0063]

According to the present invention, the management server performs at least one of change, addition, and deletion on the stored information on the print order.
By accessing the management server from the terminal, it is possible to track the contents of the print order that the user has ordered and the stage of the print work for the order, so that corrections can be made in the event of an order error. You can also change, add, or delete print orders as needed,
The number of prints can be easily increased or decreased.

Further, according to the present invention, information relating to a print order stored in a predetermined storage location is read and displayed, and at least a part of the read information relating to the print order is used to reorder prints. Therefore, in the case of, for example, ordering additional prints, it is sufficient to simply change the desired number of prints, and reordering can be quickly performed.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a print order management system and a print order method that can easily change or add the contents of a print order.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a network print service system including a print order management system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example of a display 1a.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display example of a display 1a.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a display 1a.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example of a display 1a.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of a display 1a.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of a display 1a.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Customer side terminal 2 Lab server 3 Center server (management server) 4 Image processing terminal 5 Image forming apparatus

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5B049 AA02 BB00 CC02 CC05 CC32 DD01 DD05 EE00 EE05 EE07 FF03 GG02 GG04 GG07 5C052 AA01 AB04 AC08 CC01 DD04 FA04 FA05 FA08 FB01 FC01 FC06 FC08 FD06 FE01

Claims (17)

[Claims] A means for acquiring or storing information relating to a print order and information relating to the progress of a print operation with respect to the information relating to the print order, wherein all or a part of the information relating to the print order and the information relating to the progress of the print operation are provided. What is claimed is: 1. A print order management apparatus comprising: a print order management apparatus; and a print order management apparatus comprising: a print order management apparatus; . 2. When the progress of the printing operation reaches a predetermined stage, information on the printing order is
2. The print order management device according to claim 1, wherein a request for correcting order information including deletion and reordering cannot be made. 3. If the order information including deletion and reordering of the information related to the print order cannot be corrected, the means for notifying the correction requester that the correction was not performed is provided. The print order management device according to claim 2, wherein: 4. Reading and displaying the stored information on the print order, and using at least a part of the read information on the print order, generating information on a new print order and re-ordering. The print order management device according to claim 1, wherein 5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portable information processing apparatus reads information on the print order by reading a portable storage medium storing the information on the print order, and executes a corresponding print operation. The print order management device according to any of the above. 6. A storage device connected to a network, comprising: means for acquiring or storing information relating to a print order and information relating to the progress of a printing operation with respect to the information relating to the print order. A terminal connected to the storage means, comprising: means for displaying a part or all of the information on the print order stored in the storage means and the information on the progress of the printing operation;
In response to a request from the terminal, the storage means can correct the order information including deletion and re-ordering of the stored information on the print order in response to a request from the terminal. A print order management system, characterized in that: 7. The print order management system according to claim 6, wherein the terminal is capable of searching for information on a specific print order stored in the storage device. 8. The method according to claim 6, wherein when the progress of the printing operation is at a predetermined stage, a request for correcting order information including deletion and reordering of the information relating to the print order cannot be made. 7. The print order management system according to 7. 9. When the order information including deletion and reordering of the information related to the print order cannot be corrected, a means for notifying the correction requester that the correction was not performed is provided. The print order management system according to claim 2, wherein: 10. The print order management system according to claim 6, wherein the information on the print order stored in the storage device can be transferred to the terminal. 11. The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the terminal reads a portable storage medium storing the information related to the print order, thereby acquiring the information related to the print order and executing a corresponding print operation.
11. The print order management system according to any one of claims 1 to 10. 12. Reading and displaying information related to the print order stored in a storage device, generating information related to a new print order using at least a part of the read information related to the print order, and re-creating the information. A print ordering method characterized by placing an order. 13. The print ordering method according to claim 12, wherein when the print is reordered, the printing operation based on the print order that caused the reordering is stopped. 14. The print ordering method according to claim 12, wherein the reordering of the prints is performed by updating information relating to the print order from which the reordering was made. 15. The print order method according to claim 14, wherein updating of the information on the print order is prohibited when the progress of the print operation reaches a predetermined stage. 16. A portable storage medium on which information on the print order is recorded is read by a terminal capable of order management, thereby acquiring the information on the print order and executing a corresponding print operation. 16. The print ordering method according to claim 12, wherein 17. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program capable of executing the print ordering method according to claim 12.