JP2007094973A - Print processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a print processing system, in which a new order with high priority can be surely stored even when the residual capacity of an order data storage part is reduced. <P>SOLUTION: The system includes a spooler 6a storing order data consisting of image data for forming photographic prints and incidental data in order units; a priority setting part 5e capable of setting, as incidental data, priority of print processing for each order; an order registration part 5a for registering order data related to a new order with a set priority in the order data storage part; a residual capacity determination part 5d for determining a residual capacity level of the spooler 6a upon registering the new order with high priority; a low-priority order selection part 5f for selecting, when the residual capacity level is low, an order set to low priority; and an image data deletion part 5g for deleting only the image data of the selected order from the order data storage part while leaving the incidental data contained in this order data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention has an order data storage unit for storing order data consisting of image data for creating a photo print and incidental data associated with the image data in order units, and the storage capacity of the order data storage unit is small Even in this case, the present invention relates to a print processing system capable of storing and registering orders with high priority.

  In a print processing system for creating a photographic print, image data is acquired from an appropriate image forming medium, and temporarily stored in an order data storage unit in units of orders. Here, one order refers to image data contained in one negative film and image data stored in one recording medium. In the past, there have been many cases where a frame image formed on a developed negative film as an image forming medium is read by a film scanner, and a photographic print is created based on the read image data.

  However, in recent years, digital cameras have become quite popular, and there are increasing cases of receiving photo print requests based on images taken by digital cameras. In such print processing orders, in addition to the case of acquiring image data from a digital camera recording medium brought by a customer to a photo shop, there are many cases of acquiring image data related to the order through a network such as the Internet. ing. In recent digital cameras, the number of effective pixels has increased, and the data size of image data per sheet has increased. Furthermore, in order to avoid the deterioration of image quality due to JPEG compression, the number of cases in which image data is stored as raw files or uncompressed TIFF files is increasing, and the size of order data is also increasing.

  In this way, a large number of print processes must be temporarily performed by ordering various types of photo prints at the same photo shop, and the size of the image data to be processed is large. As a result, there is a situation where the storage capacity of the order data storage unit (usually configured with a hard disk) is temporarily insufficient. When the storage capacity is insufficient, it is not possible to save a new order, so it is sometimes necessary to wait until the storage capacity is free. Accordingly, when the customer has designated a high-priority express finish as a new order, there is a problem that the designated delivery date cannot be observed because the order data cannot be stored.

  As a prior art for solving the problem when the remaining capacity of the storage unit for storing data is reduced, a digital camera disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 has been proposed. This digital camera has an importance selection switch for selecting the importance of an image, and this importance information is stored in association with the image data when it is stored in a memory. When the remaining capacity of the memory for storing the image data is insufficient, an image with low importance is automatically deleted to secure the capacity, and new image data can be stored.

JP 2002-262221 A

  However, it is difficult to apply the technology used in this digital camera to a print processing system like the present invention. The order data stored in the order data storage unit is stored for the future printing process. If all of the order data is deleted from the order data storage unit before printing, the deleted order data It is necessary to follow the procedure for registering the data as a new order again, which increases unnecessary processing and work. In the print processing system, since data is handled in units of orders, it is difficult to secure a capacity for storing new order data when one or several pieces of image data are deleted.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the problem is to provide a print processing system that can reliably store a new order with high priority even when the remaining capacity of the order data storage unit has decreased. It is to be.

In order to solve the above problems, a print processing system according to the present invention provides:
An order data storage unit for storing order data composed of image data for creating a photo print and incidental data associated with the image data in units of orders;
As the incidental data, a priority setting unit that can set the priority of print processing for each order;
An order registration unit for registering / storing order data related to a new order in the order data storage unit with the set priority;
A remaining capacity determination unit that determines the remaining capacity level of the order data storage unit when attempting to register a new high priority order;
A low-priority order selection unit that selects an order set to low priority when it is determined that the remaining capacity level is low;
And an image data deleting unit that deletes the image data from the order data storage unit while leaving the incidental data included in the order data of the selected order.

  The operation and effect of the print processing system will be described. In the order data storage unit, order data is stored in units of orders. Here, the order data includes image data and incidental data associated with the image data. Examples of incidental data include correction data for performing image processing on image data, the number of prints, an identification ID for specifying an order, and the like. Further, the priority of print processing is included as incidental data, and the priority of print processing can be set for each order. The priority is related to the finished delivery date, such as “express finish” or “normal finish”. When a new order is registered in the order data storage unit, it is registered and stored together with the priority.

  Here, when trying to register a new order with high priority, the remaining capacity of the order data storage unit is determined, and if it is determined that the remaining capacity level is low, the low priority already registered is determined. Select an order. Image data is deleted from the order data of the selected low priority order. Since the image data having a large data amount is deleted from the data constituting the order data, a capacity for registering a new order can be secured. Further, of the order data, incidental data such as data for managing the order and correction data for performing image processing are left as they are in the order data storage unit. Accordingly, it is possible to save the trouble of acquiring the correction data again, and even when the deleted image data is acquired again, it is possible to return to the same management state as before. As described above, it is possible to provide a print processing system that can reliably store a new order with high priority even when the remaining capacity of the order data storage unit is reduced.

  In the present invention, when deleting image data, it is preferable to include an image storage confirmation unit for confirming whether or not the image data is stored in another storage location.

  When the image data is deleted, it is necessary to restore the deleted image data to the order data storage unit later for print processing. Therefore, it is checked whether or not the image data to be deleted is stored in another location. For example, when image data related to a new order is taken in at the reception terminal, the image data is stored in the reception terminal. If the image data is stored in another storage location, the deleted image data can be easily re-acquired. For example, it is possible to eliminate unnecessary work such as loading the recording medium again and capturing the image data. Can do.

  In the present invention, the auxiliary data includes identification information for identifying whether or not the image data is obtained from a frame image of a photographic film, and the low priority order selection unit includes the identification information. Preferably, the image data is configured not to select an order obtained from photographic film.

  When reading image data from photographic film, it is necessary to set the photographic film on a film scanner and read it. Therefore, if image data is reacquired, the working efficiency is greatly reduced. Therefore, when selecting a low priority order, if the image data is an order acquired from a photographic film, it is not necessary to reduce the work efficiency by excluding it from the selection target.

  In the present invention, the image data to be deleted from the order data storage unit is transferred to the storage unit in which the order data of the new order is currently stored, and the order data of the new order stored in the storage unit is stored in the order data It is preferable that an image transfer unit for transferring to the image transfer unit is provided.

  According to this configuration, the order data of the new order stored in the storage unit and the selected low priority order data in the order data storage unit are swapped (exchanged). As a result, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated storage unit for securing the storage location of the order data deleted from the order data storage unit, and a new order can be registered using the existing storage unit.

  In the present invention, when the low-priority order selection unit selects an order, it is preferable to select an order having the same data amount as the order data of the new order.

  If the amount of order data to be swapped is the same, there will be no problem that data cannot be swapped due to insufficient storage capacity.

  A preferred embodiment of a photographic processing system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the entire system.

<Overall system configuration>
In FIG. 1, a photo processing apparatus 100 has a function of creating a photo print based on acquired digital image data. Examples of the image data include image data of a frame image of a developed negative film obtained from a film scanner provided in the photographic processing apparatus 100, image data transmitted via a network, and the like.

  The reception terminal 20 is installed in a store and can receive image data stored in a recording medium of a digital camera or other recording media. Examples of recording media include Compact Flash (registered trademark), SmartMedia (registered trademark), Memory Stick (registered trademark), CD-R, and DVD-R. The reception terminal 20 is mainly operated by a customer, and can insert a recording medium brought by the customer himself, select image data to be printed, set the number of prints, print size, and the like. it can. Of course, the store clerk may operate the reception terminal 20.

  The recording device 40 has a function of writing the image data acquired by the photo processing device 100 to a recording medium such as a CD-R or a DVD-R. The network reception terminal 50 (configured by a personal computer) has a function of receiving image data relating to a print order via the Internet. The photo processing device 100, the reception terminal 20, the recording device 40, and the network reception terminal 50 are connected by a network (for example, a LAN). Further, the number of installed photo processing apparatuses 100, reception terminals 20, recording apparatuses 40, and net reception terminals 50 is not limited to one, and a plurality of apparatuses can be installed as necessary.

  A server 60 installed on the Internet provides a function of accepting an online print order. When placing a print order, image data relating to print processing is uploaded from a personal computer 70 connected to the Internet, and the image data is stored in the server 60. Printing processing can be performed by downloading the image data from the server 60 from the network reception terminal 50. As a system that accepts print processing online, a known system can be used.

<Functional block configuration of photo processing system>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing functions of the photographic processing apparatus 100 that forms the center of the photographic processing system. The film scanner 1 acquires digital image data by scanning a frame image formed on a developed negative film (photographic film). The image acquisition unit 2 acquires image data transmitted mainly via a network. A communication control unit 3 is provided for performing communication via a network. The image data acquired by the image acquisition unit 2 is image data stored in the recording medium of the digital camera or image data stored in the Internet server 60. It should be noted that the photo processing apparatus 100 itself may be configured to be able to attach a recording medium, and to be able to acquire image data directly from the recording medium.

<Configuration of image determination unit>
The image determination unit 4 provides a function for the operator to make a determination on the acquired image data, and this function is mainly provided by software. This is to determine whether or not a photographic print having an appropriate image quality is created before creating a photographic print based on the image data, and this operation is referred to as pre-judgement. The image determination unit 4 is provided with a correction data setting unit 4a, a print data setting unit 4b, and a thumbnail image creation unit 4c as main functions, which will be described with reference to FIG. The pre-judge is not necessarily performed, and the pre-judge can be omitted and the printing process can be performed.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a monitor screen for performing pre-judgement. On the screen, frame images to be printed are displayed every six frames. The frame image to be prejudged is surrounded by the image selection frame 30. The frame number of the frame image is displayed in the frame number display field 31. The print size of the photo print is displayed in the print size display field 32. The number of prints can be set in the print number setting column 33. Color and density correction data can be input to the color correction data setting field 34 and the density correction data setting field 35. The correction data setting unit 4a provides a function of inputting correction data for correcting the color and density as described above, and the input of the correction data is set as necessary. Examples of other correction data settings include special correction settings such as red-eye correction and backlight correction.

  As the setting of the number of prints, 1 is set by default for the image data acquired from the film scanner 1, but it can be changed by an operator's input operation. For image data acquired via the network, it is preferable that the operator cannot change the setting because the number of prints to be ordered has already been set by the customer. This print number setting data is included in the print data and is provided by the function of the print data setting unit 4b. In addition to the number of prints, the print data includes the print size, paper surface quality (such as glossy surface and silk), and whether or not the print has a border.

  The frame image shown in FIG. 3 is a thumbnail image, and is obtained by reducing the acquired image data. In the case of image data acquired by the image acquisition unit 2, a thumbnail image can be created based on the acquired original image data. When obtaining negative film image data from the film scanner 1, a thumbnail image can be created based on image data obtained by pre-scanning the negative film.

  Here, the pre-scan and the main scan, which are scanning modes of the negative film, will be described. The pre-scan is a process of reading a developed negative film image with a rough number of pixels, and is performed to display the above-described thumbnail image. When pre-judgement is performed, high-resolution image data is not required, and scanning is performed with a coarse number of pixels in order to shorten the reading processing time.

  The main scan is a process for reading each frame image of the negative film at a high resolution, and is image data used to actually create a photographic print. Read high-resolution frame images to create high-quality photo prints. Also, during the main scan, the frame image for which the number of prints is set to 0 is not read.

<Configuration of order control unit>
The order control unit 5 provides a function of managing image data to be printed in order units. Here, one order refers to an image data group related to a print order for one film or one recording medium, but is not limited to this, and the concept of one order is appropriately determined by an operator. Can be set.

  The order registration unit 5 a has a function of registering and storing the order data for which pre-judge has been completed by the image determination unit 4 in the storage device 6. The storage device 6 is conceptually composed of a part called a spooler 6a (corresponding to an order data storage unit) and another storage unit 6b. All order data to be printed is stored in the spooler 6a. Therefore, the order can be managed by storing the order data in the spooler 6a, and the print processing order and interrupt can be controlled. Both the spooler 6a and the storage unit 6b can be configured by a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk, but the spooler 6a and the storage unit 6b may be configured by separate hard disks in terms of hardware, A storage area of one hard disk may be divided to form an area that functions as the spooler 6a and other areas.

  The order data refers to data for one order. The image data group included in one order, correction data set by the prejudgment, print data such as the number of prints, and data specifying the order (order Identification ID, customer name, address, member ID, etc.). However, since most of the data amount of the order data is determined by the image data, there is no problem even if it is considered that the data amount of the order data is the data amount of the image data. In the case of image data obtained from a negative film, it is preferable to store not only main scan image data but also pre-scan image data as order data.

  The print processing control unit 5b gives a command to print the order data of the order to be printed. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the order management screen, in which a list of orders waiting to be processed and a list of completed orders are displayed. The list of orders waiting for processing basically displays a list of orders in the order in which print processing is performed. The status display column shows the processing status of the order, indicating that the top order is being printed, and that other orders are waiting for print processing. When the print processing is completed, the display shifts to the display column of the completed order, and the status display also changes to completion of the print processing.

  The order data deletion unit 5c deletes the order data for which the printing process has been completed from the spooler 6a. The spooler 6a has a predetermined percentage (for example, 50%) of the storage capacity of the spooler 6a for reordering, and the order data that has been printed is not immediately deleted, but is used to request a reprinted print at a later date. Prepare and store for a predetermined period. Thereby, it is not necessary to repeat acquisition of image data or pre-judge again, and work efficiency is improved. About how long it preserve | saves, it can set suitably. If the storage space for reordering is decreasing, data is deleted from the old order. Thereby, the storage capacity of the spooler 6a can be secured. Note that the storage area for reordering may not be the spooler 6a, but the storage unit 6b or other large-capacity external storage device may be used.

  The remaining capacity determination unit 5d determines whether or not the remaining capacity of the storage capacity of the spooler 6a is equal to or less than a predetermined capacity. When trying to save new order data by the order registering unit 5a, new order registration may not be possible if the remaining capacity is small. In particular, when attempting to register an order to be rushed to finish, if the registration is not possible because the remaining capacity is small, it may be impossible to create a photo print on time. Therefore, a function for determining whether or not a predetermined remaining capacity is secured is provided by constantly monitoring the remaining capacity.

  If there is no remaining capacity when trying to register a new order, a message to that effect is displayed on the monitor to inform the operator that registration is not possible. In this case, measures such as waiting for the storage capacity to be freed or deleting old order data that has been printed are taken. However, if the new order has a high priority such as an express finish, the following processing is performed.

  The priority setting unit 5e sets the priority of a new order to be registered. There are three levels of priority, “express finish”, “normal finish”, and “slow finish”. “Express finish” corresponds to high priority, and “normal finish” and “slow finish” correspond to low priority. The priority may not be set in these three stages. For example, it may be two stages of “express finish” and “normal finish”, or may be increased to four or more stages. As a priority setting method, for example, when a new order registration button on the monitor screen is clicked, a priority selection screen pops up, and any of the displayed priorities can be selected. In FIG. 4, in order to display the priority, the symbols A, B, and C are displayed for each order, and indicate “Express finish”, “Normal finish”, and “Slow finish”, respectively.

  The low-priority order selection unit 5f has a function of selecting a low-priority registered order when the remaining capacity is small when attempting to register a new high-priority order. The above-mentioned remaining capacity determination unit 5d determines whether or not a storable capacity is secured when registering a new high priority order. In this determination, it may be determined whether or not the storage capacity of a predetermined level or more is free, or the data amount of the new order is compared with the current remaining capacity to determine whether or not storage is possible. Good. When it is determined that the remaining capacity is small, the low priority order is selected as described above.

  Further, the low priority order selection unit 5f does not select the image data if it is an order obtained from a photographic film even if it is a low priority. In the case of a photographic film, in order to acquire image data again, the photographic film must be scanned by the film scanner 1 and processing time is required. Therefore, only an order in which image data is acquired from a recording medium other than photographic film is selected. In order to enable such selection, the above-mentioned incidental data includes an identification ID indicating the acquisition destination of the image data. Based on this identification ID, it can be determined whether or not the image data is acquired from the photographic film. .

  When the low priority order is selected as described above, the image data deleting unit 5g has a function of deleting all the image data included in the order data. Since the amount of order data is almost occupied by image data, the remaining capacity of the spooler 6a can be increased by deleting the image data. Thereby, the storage capacity for registering a new order with high priority can be secured, and the finish delivery date designated by the customer can be observed.

  Also, incidental data other than image data in the order data is left as it is without being deleted. Therefore, since the data for managing the order is still left in the spooler 6a, the order control by the order control unit 5 is continued even if the image data is deleted. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, for the order in which the image data has been deleted, “pending” is indicated as the status display, indicating that the image data has been temporarily deleted for the operator. Can be recognized.

  The image storage confirmation unit 5h has a function of confirming whether or not the selected low priority order image data is stored in a storage location other than the spooler 6a. As shown in FIG. 2, the reception terminal 20 is provided with an order storage unit 20a configured by a hard disk, and the order data received by the reception terminal 20 is stored in the order storage unit 20a. Further, the network receiving terminal 50 is also provided with an order storage unit 50a, and order data received online is stored in the storage unit 50a. Therefore, even if the image data is deleted from the spooler 6a, if the data remains in the order storage units 20a and 50a, it can be easily restored. Whether or not the same order exists in the order storage units 20a and 50a can be confirmed using an identification ID for specifying the order. For such an order storage unit, a dedicated personal computer may be provided on the network and used as a storage personal computer.

  Therefore, the image storage confirmation unit 5h is provided as described above, and when the image data to be deleted is stored in the storage units 30a and 50a, the image data of the low priority order is deleted. If the image data is not stored, another low priority order in which the image data is stored is selected. Thereby, the operation | work for an operator to reacquire image data can be reduced.

  The image reacquisition unit 5i has a function of reacquiring deleted image data. Although the timing for reacquisition can be set as appropriate, it may be reacquired immediately before the print processing of the order is performed. Since re-acquisition is automatically performed based on the function of the image re-acquisition unit 5i, no new work for the operator occurs.

  The screen configuration example in FIG. 4 will be further described. The remaining capacity is displayed at the upper right of the screen, which can be used as a guideline when registering a new order or the remaining capacity can be confirmed. In addition, “15” is displayed as the number of orders, which indicates the number of orders waiting for print processing. Further, “20 minutes” is displayed as the waiting time, and the time required to process all the print processing waiting orders is displayed. The operator can see this display to recognize the approximate time that a new order will be processed.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the monitor 7 displays a screen for pre-judgement (see FIG. 3), an order management screen, and the like, and provides a screen necessary for performing print processing and the like. The input operation unit 8 is configured by a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and performs data input and settings necessary for print processing, and various commands.

  The image processing board 9 receives image data and correction data from the spooler 6a, performs image processing on the image data based on the correction data, and generates print image data used to create a photographic print. The image processing board 9 includes a reception memory, a processing circuit unit, and a development memory, and performs image processing designated in the processing circuit unit. Specifically, color / density correction based on the correction data, data expansion / contraction processing according to the set print size, and the like.

  Next, the configuration of the print processing unit will be briefly described with reference to FIG. In the paper magazine 10, paper as a photographic photosensitive material is accommodated in a roll shape. Two paper magazines 10 can be installed. For example, papers having different paper widths can be set in advance. The paper cutter 11 cuts long paper drawn from the paper magazine 10 so as to have a set print size.

  The exposure engine 12 receives print image data transmitted from the development memory of the image processing board 9, and prints and exposes an image on the emulsion surface of the paper based on the print image data. The exposure engine 12 is not limited to a specific type, and for example, a laser engine, a CRT engine, a PLZT engine, or the like can be used.

  The development processing unit 13 performs development processing on the paper on which the image is printed and exposed, and the drying processing unit 14 performs drying processing on the developed paper. Finished photographic prints are discharged from the paper discharge unit 15 to the outside of the apparatus main body, and are collected in units of orders by a predetermined stacking apparatus.

  The paper sensor 16 detects the paper discharged from the paper discharge unit 15 and detects whether or not all the photo prints of a certain order have been discharged. The sensor control unit 17 controls the driving of the paper sensor 16 and receives and analyzes a signal from the paper sensor 16. By providing such a paper sensor 16, it is possible to determine whether or not the order print processing has been completed. Orders for which print processing has been completed are transferred to a list of completed orders as shown in FIG.

<Order registration procedure>
Next, the procedure for registering a new order will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When registering a new order, priority is set (# 1). Next, it is determined whether or not the remaining capacity of the spooler 6a is small (# 2). If a sufficient capacity is secured to store the order data of the new order, the process proceeds to step # 6, where the order data is stored / registered in the spooler 6a. If the remaining capacity is small, it is determined whether the priority is high or low (# 3). If the order has a low priority, the process waits until the necessary remaining capacity is secured or deletes the order data that has been printed (# 7). As shown in the screen of FIG. 4, a delete button is provided, and the order data can be deleted by selecting one or more completed orders and clicking the delete button. If the storage capacity can be secured, the process proceeds to step # 6 where a new order can be registered. If the storage capacity cannot be secured, the order is further selected and deletion is continued. An all delete button for deleting all completed orders is also provided.

  In step # 3, in the case of a high priority order, one (or a plurality) of low priority orders that are already registered and waiting for print processing are selected (# 4). In this case, it is confirmed that the image data is stored in the reception terminal 20 or the network reception terminal 50. Then, only the image data of the selected order data is deleted from the spooler 6a (# 5). The incidental data other than the image data is not deleted and is left in the spooler 6a. Thereby, a storage capacity is ensured. When selecting a low priority, one or more orders to be deleted are selected so that order data of a new order to be registered can be secured. After deleting the image data, a new order is registered (# 6).

  Changes in the order of print processing when a high priority order is registered will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6A shows the state before registering the high priority order, and FIG. 6B shows the state after registering the high priority order. The order of print processing is determined so that the high priority order is printed immediately after the order currently being printed. For orders having the same priority, print processing is performed in the order of acceptance.

<Print processing procedure>
Next, the print processing procedure will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When print processing is performed, it is first determined whether image data exists in the spooler 6a (# 11). If there is image data, necessary data can be read from the spooler 6a and printed. (# 13). If there is no image data, the image data is reacquired (# 12). The location where the image data is stored is searched via the network, and the image data is reacquired (# 13). Thereafter, the printing process can be similarly performed.

<Another embodiment of the order control unit>
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the order control unit 5 described in FIG. Only the functions different from FIG. 2 will be mainly described. In the case of FIG. 2, the configuration in which the low priority order is selected and the image data is deleted has been described. In the second embodiment, the image data is still deleted, but in this embodiment, the high priority order image data to be registered and the selected low priority order image data are swapped (exchanged). Configured to).

  The image transfer unit 5j transfers the selected low-priority order image data to the storage unit in which the high-priority order data is stored, and the high-priority new order data stored in the storage unit. Is transferred to the spooler 6a and the two are interchanged. Further, when selecting a low priority order, a low priority order having the same data amount as the order data (image data) of a new order to be registered is selected. As a result, the selected low priority order image data is reliably stored in the storage unit.

  The print processing procedure with the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Except for steps # 24 and # 25, the processing contents are the same as those shown in FIG. The new order to be registered is input via the receiving terminal 20, and the order data is stored in the order storage unit 20a. When a new high-priority order is to be registered, if the remaining capacity of the spooler 6a is small, an order with the same data size and a low-priority order is selected from the already registered print-waiting orders. (# 24). The image data of the selected low priority order is transferred to the order storage unit 20a, and the order data in the order storage unit 20a is registered in the spooler 6a (# 25, 26). As described above, by swapping data, it is possible to reliably register a new order with high priority even under a situation where the storage capacity of the spooler 6a is small.

  The procedure for performing the printing process for the order swapped to the order storage unit 20a is the same as that described with reference to FIG.

<Another embodiment>
In the present embodiment, the configuration example in which the image data swap process is executed by the image transfer unit 5j has been described. However, a dedicated storage unit is provided at the image data transfer destination, and the image data of the selected low priority order is provided. May be transferred to this dedicated storage unit.

  In the present embodiment, only the image data is deleted from the image data and the incidental data included in the order data. However, a part of the incidental data may be further deleted. For example, only data necessary for order management may be left and the correction data may be deleted.

  In the present embodiment, an order for performing print processing from a negative film and an order for performing print processing from a recording medium that has received an order at the receiving terminal 20 can be mixed and processed, but this is performed separately. You can also. That is, as the print processing mode in the photo processing apparatus 100, the normal mode and the net mode are switched. In the normal mode, only the print processing from the negative film received by the photo processing apparatus 100 itself is performed. 20 or the network receiving terminal 50 may be configured to perform only the print processing of the order received. In this case, the configuration of the present invention can be applied in each mode. Moreover, you may provide the spooler 6a separately for each mode.

Conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a photo processing system Block diagram showing functions of photo processing device Figure showing the configuration example of the pre-judge screen Diagram showing the configuration example of the order management screen Flow chart showing the procedure for registering a new order The figure which shows the change of the order of print processing when the high priority order is registered Flow chart showing the procedure for performing print processing The figure which shows the structure of the order control part concerning 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the procedure at the time of performing a printing process in 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

4 Image determination unit 5 Order control unit 5a Order registration unit 5b Print processing control unit 5c Order data deletion unit 5d Remaining capacity determination unit 5e Priority setting unit 5f Low priority order selection unit 5g Image data deletion unit 5h Image storage confirmation unit 5i Image reacquisition unit 5j Image transfer unit 6 Storage device 6a Spooler 6b Storage unit 20 Reception terminal 20a Order storage unit 40 Recording device 50 Net reception terminal 50a Order storage unit 100 Photo processing device

Claims (5)

An order data storage unit for storing order data composed of image data for creating a photo print and incidental data associated with the image data in units of orders;
As the incidental data, a priority setting unit that can set the priority of print processing for each order;
An order registration unit for registering / storing order data related to a new order in the order data storage unit with the set priority;
A remaining capacity determination unit that determines the remaining capacity level of the order data storage unit when attempting to register a new high priority order;
A low-priority order selection unit that selects an order set to low priority when it is determined that the remaining capacity level is low;
A print processing system, comprising: an image data deleting unit that deletes image data from an order data storage unit while retaining incidental data included in order data of a selected order.   The print processing system according to claim 1, further comprising an image storage confirmation unit configured to confirm whether or not the image data is stored in another storage location when the image data is deleted.   The incidental data includes identification information for identifying whether the image data is obtained from a frame image of a photographic film, and the low priority order selection unit is configured to generate an image based on the identification information. The print processing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the data is configured not to select an order obtained from photographic film.   The image data to be deleted from the order data storage unit is transferred to the storage unit where the order data of the new order is currently stored, and the order data of the new order stored in the storage unit is transferred to the order data storage unit The print processing system according to claim 1, further comprising an image transfer unit.   5. The print processing system according to claim 4, wherein when the low priority order selection unit selects an order, the print processing system is configured to select an order having the same data amount as the order data of the new order. .

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