JP2001341381A - Photograph-processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system in which a setting operation for a form of carried media of digital image data, a form and a size of the data, etc., is unified thereby enabling orders for the data to be accepted under a constant condition at all times, and moreover a processing command for images accepted at a receiver device is executed by a server device, so that costs of a receiving terminal are reduced and accepting to process digital images is completely automated or semiautomated. SOLUTION: This photograph-processing system includes the photograph printing receiver device 6 with an operating means for inputting the digital image data, the image processing command for the image data, a printing command and customers information, the server device 9 which receives the image data, the image processing command, the printing command and customers information inputted to the photograph receiver device via a communication line or an electronic medium, processes the image data based on the image processing command and orders to a printer according to the printing command, and the printer for printing in accordance with the command from the server device.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photographic processing system, and more particularly, to a method for receiving digital image data, unifying the setting of the format of media and the format and size of the data, and constantly maintaining the same conditions. Related to a system that allows an order to be accepted. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for lowering the cost of a receiving device and completely or semi-unmanning receiving of digital image processing by performing an image processing instruction received by a receiving device on a server device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the recent spread of digital cameras and personal computers, the number of customers who bring digital image data to photo shops and request printing are increasing.
When a photo shop accepts digital image data from a customer and prints it, it sends various information such as the format of the digital image data, the media format, and the software that created the digital image data. It was necessary to hear more, record it, and perform image processing and printing according to the information.

For example, when accepting data from a digital camera, in addition to the manufacturer of the digital camera and the type of media (for example, compact flash (registered trademark) card, smart media, floppy (registered trademark) disk, etc.), However, most digital cameras can change the recording quality of the image, the size of the image in pixel units, etc., and this information is also necessary when processing at the store in some cases. May be.

In general, a photo shop records the above information on a special order form or memo, sets a set of media brought in by a customer, and transfers the set to a department that performs actual processing. In many cases, printing is performed after performing image processing as necessary.

In this case, in order to actually exchange the information with the customer at the store, some technical terms and knowledge are required, and not all of the stores can accept the information.

In addition, the information received and the set of media containing digital image data received from the customer are accurately managed, and until the print is finally completed and the media and printed matter are returned to the user, these media are set. It is necessary to continue management.

Further, when a print is made from a normal negative film, it is generally practiced to print all the frames one by one in the case of simultaneous printing.

[0008] However, in the case of digital image data, only the frame designated by the customer is printed in many cases, and if the designation is incorrect, the possibility of causing a large loss cannot be denied.

[0009] With respect to such a problem, the digital camera itself or the provision of secondary software includes a function of writing image data to be printed, the number of prints, and the like to an output electronic medium. However, attempts have been made to reduce the complexity of the photographic print receiving operation.

On the other hand, in the printing of digital image data, for example, conversion into a black-and-white photograph and various image processings can be performed. If a customer expects such processing, it has been further described. In addition to the various types of information, it is necessary to add information relating to these image processing instructions, which is becoming a heavy burden on photo shops.

However, in the above-described method of writing a digital image data print instruction to a medium in advance by providing the digital camera itself or secondary software, if the possible processing differs for each photo shop, It is necessary to determine whether the processing specified by the customer is possible.If the processing that meets the customer's wishes is not possible, change the customer's specification or, in some cases, do not print at all. There must be.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide digital photo data reception in a photo shop,
The digital image data brought in by the customer and a number of additional information such as image processing or print instruction information accompanying each of them are centrally managed, and the store side basically performs image processing and print work under certain conditions. Can improve the productivity of digital image data printing. Further, regarding the instruction of image processing, processing in the server device is standardized, so that the receiving device It is an object of the present invention to provide a system at low cost without requiring processing power. Another object of the present invention is to use a prepaid card for the collection of processing and print charges, thereby avoiding any additional burden on the store side even with respect to the number of prints and the complicated fee structure for each processing designation. Is to provide.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a photograph print accepting apparatus having operation means for inputting digital image data, an image processing instruction for the image data, a print instruction, and customer information. Receiving the image data, the image processing instruction, the print instruction, and the customer information input to the receiving device via a communication line or electronic media, processing the image data based on the image processing instruction, and instructing the printer according to the print instruction. And a printer that prints in accordance with instructions from the server device.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of the photographic processing system of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a description will be given of a case of a photograph print receiving apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as a terminal) basically having communication means.

The photo print receiving device (hereinafter referred to as a terminal) 6 includes an image data reading device 1, an information input device 2, a reception management unit 3, a disk device 4, and a communication unit 5. Furthermore, it is preferable to equip the terminal with a printer 7 for order sheets and a prepaid card reader 8.

The image data reading device 1 is an image data reading device for taking out image data from each electronic medium when a customer brings in various digital image data (hereinafter, referred to as image data). For example, a device that reads various media such as a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk, a compact flash card reader, and a smart media card reader is connected.

In FIG. 1, one device is described as being included in a computer device, but this need not be included separately. Also, in the case of a rewritable medium such as a magneto-optical disk, the terminal itself does not perform the order processing, that is, does not perform the image processing and the print processing, but performs these processings in a server device. When the terminal is not connected to the server, the order information temporarily stored in the terminal and the image data necessary for the order can be used as a means for moving to the server device.

The information input device 2 also serves as an information input device and a display device for a customer to input various types of information. In the case of this figure, a touch panel display corresponds to this. In this example, the information input device 2 also serves as a display device for displaying and confirming image data brought in by the customer. Here, the customer inputs various information such as an image processing instruction, a print instruction, and customer information for the image data previously input by the image data reading device 1.

The image processing instruction for the image data means that the customer himself / herself instructs image processing for converting and processing the image data into various image styles and printing the image data instead of simply printing the image data. The image processing includes conversion of a color image to black-and-white print, conversion to a sepia tone, and filter processing (for example, filter processing for converting into a painting tone, a line drawing tone, a sharp tone, a blurred tone, further mosaic conversion, backlighting) Effect, lens flare effect, lens distortion effect, etc.), synthesis of two or more images (photo and photo, or photo and text, etc.), selection of appropriate arrangement, and various trimmings (for example, circular, oval, polygonal) And the like, and combinations thereof, and the customer can appropriately select and instruct these image processes on the touch panel display.

The print instruction refers to an instruction of information such as the number of prints and a print size. As described above, these print instructions can be appropriately selected and instructed on the touch panel display. The customer information refers to information of the customer, that is, information such as a name, an address, and a telephone number.

When the information input device 2 uses a keyboard or a dedicated input device, it is necessary to separately prepare a display device for displaying and confirming image data.
The display device is used not only for displaying image data but also for displaying virtual input means on a screen.

The reception management unit 3 actually processes the operation of the customer, and is constituted by software. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the reception management unit in more detail.

The disk device 4 is a disk device for integrating the above-mentioned various information input by the customer and image data necessary for processing and temporarily recording the information in a computer device. If the customer places an order at this terminal, the digital image data is copied to the disk device 4 in the terminal when the series of processing is completed. There is no need to deposit media.

The communication means 5 is a communication means for transferring various information and image data stored in the disk device 4 to a server device 9 for actually performing image processing and print instructions. Generally, a communication method is an Ethernet (registered trademark) used in the Internet or the like or a modem device for transmitting data via a telephone line.

The terminal 6 is connected to the server 9 by the communication means 5.
If not connected, various information and image data temporarily stored in the terminal are written on an electronic medium such as a magneto-optical disk and moved to the server device 6 via the electronic medium. At this time, the writing to the electronic medium is also performed by the image data reading device 1 for reading the image data brought in by the customer, so that the cost of the system can be reduced.

The order sheet printer 7 prints information for specifying the image data ordered by the customer and various information such as image processing instructions, print instructions and customer information relating to the image data to the customer as an order sheet. It is for. In addition to this application,
For example, in the case where data brought in by a customer is processed only in this terminal and printed out, it can be used as a printer for image data.

The prepaid card reading device 8 is a device that is connected when a processing / print fee is settled using a prepaid card. Note that this device is required to have a prepaid card writing function when writing customer information on the prepaid card or when having a function of issuing a prepaid card.

The server device 9 is connected to the terminal 6 by the communication means 5, and converts the image data received by the customer received by the terminal 6 into the image processing instruction, the number of prints, and the number of prints designated by the customer at the terminal 6. According to the information of the print instruction such as the size, the actual process is executed to create image data subjected to the process to be finally printed, and the image data is transferred to the printer 21 to obtain a printed product as a final product. .

Here, one of the features of the present invention is that the server device 9 actually executes the image processing of the image data designated by the terminal 6 and performs the processing. The image processing performed by the server device is, as described above, conversion of a color image to black and white print, conversion to sepia tone, filter processing,
This includes synthesis of two or more images, selection of an appropriate arrangement, various types of trimming, and combinations thereof.

By adopting the above configuration, the terminal 6 only needs to perform processing on the preview image on the screen.
Therefore, the processing capability of the terminal can be reduced, and the cost of the terminal can be greatly reduced. Generally, the image data sent to the printer 21 to obtain the final print has a very large data size. To perform image processing on this image, a large amount of computer resources such as memory and processing capacity are required. Need.
According to the present invention, as described above, the server device 9 performs the actual image processing, and the terminal 6 does not need a large processing capacity to handle an extremely small amount of data such as a preview image on a screen. Contribute to lowering device prices.

Further, the type of image processing and the designation of size are instructed by the terminal 6, and the image format conversion unit 11 in FIG. Now it is possible to handle it completely automatically. In addition, in the present invention, semi-automatic operation such as color correction may be performed as described later, but even in this case, the operator who operates the server device 9 can always perform processing with a constant operation. The advantages of the present invention are not limited to the above-described fully automatic or semi-automatic, and the processing contents instructed by the terminal 6 and the print size are contents which can be processed by the server device 9 and the printer 21 in advance. It does not mean that the print cannot be provided to the customer.

The main reason for performing semi-automatic processing in the server device 9 is that, for example, when it is desired to print an image brought in by a customer in a better color than when automatically printing an image brought in by a customer, such as color correction. This can be used when it is advantageous that the operator can change the correction value according to the printer state of the printer 21.

Next, the reception management section 3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 10 denotes an input monitoring unit for monitoring which button is pressed and which media is used when the customer uses the information input device 2 to input information. Controls the flow of operations.

Reference numeral 11 denotes an image format conversion unit, which extracts data in the medium identified by the input monitoring unit 10 from the image data reading device 1, and in this image format conversion unit, image data of various formats is internally stored. Then, the image data is converted into a predetermined format, and the subsequent processing can be completed with a predetermined process for a predetermined image format. The image data generated here is temporarily stored in the disk device 4.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a selected image generating unit for displaying the converted image on the screen in a reduced size to urge the customer to confirm, and a screen panel generating unit which is a virtual information input device. is there. The selection image generation unit generates a confirmation image for each image brought by the customer,
Is displayed by the display device. The operation panel generated by the screen panel generation unit is also displayed by the two display devices, and the customer can specify necessary image processing,
Enter order information such as the number of prints. This enables interactive operation with the customer.

The virtual various confirmation operation panels generated by the customer 12 include a customer information input panel for inputting customer's own information, that is, a name, an address, a telephone number and the like. It should be noted that the information to be input here may be only the name and the telephone number, or a user ID or the like may be issued and used instead.

Further, as virtual various confirmation operation panels, processing instruction panels for selecting image data to be printed, processing instruction information and print number instructions are generated. That is, this part is in charge of screen generation corresponding to all virtual information input devices displayed on the terminal device of the present invention.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a terminal management unit which manages image processing instructions, print instructions, image data, and customer information stored by a customer's input, simultaneously displays a list of each order information, and displays each order information. Can be printed as an order form. It is also desirable to manage input / output devices connected to the terminal here. However,
The operation of the terminal management unit 13 needs to be physically or logically separated from the operation means of the customer.

In order to issue an order form, it is necessary to present the print completion date and time, that is, the work end date and time, to the customer. And a work completion date / time calculation unit that calculates a print delivery date / time based on the date / time when the printing was performed, the business date / time of the store, and the processing period.

Further, there is a case where an order number issuing function is provided for issuing an order number for order management for each order.

Reference numeral 14 denotes information which is temporarily stored in the terminal device and is easy to process in the server device when transferring the image processing instruction, print instruction, image data, customer information, etc. to the server device. A communication control unit that converts the data into a format and sends out each order data to the communication means. When the server is not connected to the server device by the communication means, the server may have a function of writing each order data to the electronic medium.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a prepaid card issuance and authentication unit. With regard to issuance of a prepaid card, a frequency corresponding to the amount paid by the customer is written into the card after the necessary encryption processing is performed on the card by the encryption unit. Further, the authentication unit detects the frequency written on the card after decrypting the code, reduces the frequency used according to the customer's order, and encrypts the remaining frequency again by the encryption unit. Write on the card.

FIG. 3 shows an example of an operation sequence of the reception management unit 3 configured as described above. The sequence shown in this figure is basic, and the sequence is not limited to those described here.

The sequence of the reception management unit 3 is designed to analyze a plurality of factors such as the type of recording medium brought by the customer, the directory structure inside the medium, etc., to branch appropriately, and to surely complete the order. Have been.

The sequence of the reception management unit will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The media selection screen 31 is used to input data to digital media such as a floppy disk and analog media such as photographic paper. It prepares. When each media selection button on the media selection screen is pressed, the input monitoring unit 10
Starts analyzing the directory structure inside the media.
Only necessary image files and directories are detected by comparing them with internally defined conditions.

If it is determined that only directories exist in the same hierarchy, the screen shifts to a directory selection screen of 32. At this time, the screen panel generation unit 12 in FIG. 2 accurately displays the number and name of the corresponding directory. When an arbitrary directory button displayed on the directory selection screen is pressed, the directory structure one level below the selected folder is analyzed.

If it is determined that only an image file exists in the same hierarchy, the screen shifts to a print execution selection screen 33. At this time, the image file is temporarily stored in the disk device 4 of FIG. Thereafter, all the existing images are reduced and displayed on the screen by the selected image generation unit 12 in FIG.

The reduced images serve as indices, each of which independently indicates a digital image stored in the original disk device 4. Therefore, by selecting this arbitrary reduced image, information on whether or not photographic paper can be output for the original digital image, the paper size, the number of output sheets, the color conversion mode, and the image drawing process (filter conversion) are stored in the terminal management unit of FIG. Reference numeral 13 holds the data as fixed data, and manages the data as components that are easy to input and output.

In the case of analog media, it is necessary to convert information on a paper medium into digital information at one end. In this case, it is necessary to provide an input device such as a scanner in the system including the reception management unit.

When an analog / digital conversion button on the media selection screen is pressed, the screen shifts to a scan setup screen 35. Here, when the size of the analog medium is set, the scanner starts the pre-scanning operation, and the image format conversion unit 11 in FIG. 2 generates low-resolution conversion data for screen display.

The generated low-resolution conversion data is displayed on a scan screen 36, and the customer determines whether or not the image is acceptable.
If possible, high-resolution conversion data is generated, and temporarily stored in the disk device 4 as in the case of the image data in the digital media, and the screen shifts to a print execution selection screen 33, where the selected image generation unit 12 displays the image data. Zoom out above.

The subsequent operations follow the above-described print execution selection screen operation, and are used to set whether or not photographic paper can be output for an image, paper size, number of output sheets, color conversion mode, image processing (filter conversion), and the like. . These pieces of information are stored as fixed data by the terminal management unit 13 and managed as components that are easy to input and output.

After the setting for each digital image on the print selection screen, the display shifts to the customer information input screen 34. On the customer information input screen, a name, a telephone number, and the like, which are identification factors of the customer, are input. This input is realized by the screen panel generation unit 12 generating a virtual input screen.

As for the discrimination element, another dedicated I
It is also possible to develop the system so that it is managed by using a D password and a database number. These pieces of customer information are associated with the standard data component for the image generated on the print selection screen, and the terminal management unit 13 is mainly used as a single data by the entire system.

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the server device 9. A communication unit 16 receives image data from the terminal 6 and order information (a print instruction such as the number of prints or size, an image processing instruction, etc.). The image data received from the terminal 6 is The information is sent to the order processing unit 17. The order processing section 17 is based on the order information received by the communication
8 instructs image processing of the image data, and sends the print data to the print processing unit 19 in order to print according to the print instruction such as the number of prints and the size included in the order information.

The image processing unit 18 is to actually process the image data received from the communication unit 16 in accordance with an image processing instruction from the order processing unit 17. Although the image processing unit 18 can directly send the print data to the print processing unit 19, the present invention preferably has the image display monitor 20 display the image data.

One of the advantages of displaying image data on the image confirmation monitor 20 is that the server operator can perform semi-automatic operations such as color correction as described above.
The color correction is performed by the image processing unit 18 performing image processing according to the correction value input by the operator at the color correction operation unit 22 and displaying the processed image data on an image confirmation monitor.

In the print processing section 19, the order processing section 17
The data received from the image processing unit 18 is converted into a printable state by the printer 21 and sent to the printer 21.

In addition, before sending the print data to the printer, even if the printer device is not in a processable state, the server device does not hinder the preceding process. It is desirable to be able to spool data.

Further, the server device must be able to spool order data in order to be able to simultaneously accept orders for a plurality of processing requests from a plurality of terminals.

As described above, based on the order information from the terminal,
Although it is possible to automatically process all processes and obtain the final print, the difference in the printer connected to the server device and the quality of the image data brought in by the customer, in most cases, There is a difference between them, and if they are printed as they are, a print of desired quality may not be obtained. For this reason, as described above, the server device temporarily displays the image data on the monitor device of the server device before printing or after receiving the image data from the terminal, and the server operator can freely perform processing such as color correction. It is desirable to be able to do it.

In the present invention, the terminal 6 and the server device 9 need not necessarily be in a one-to-one relationship. this is,
For example, when a chain of photo shops as shown in FIG. 5 is considered, if there are branches A, B, and C with respect to the head office, the server device exists in the head office and the branch B, and all the head offices and branches are located. It is assumed that there is a terminal at the branch office, and the branch A or the branch C can place an order with the server device at the head office and the branch B.

As described above, by allowing the server to be freely selected, even if the printable size and the like are different due to, for example, a difference in the printer device between the head office and the B branch, any head office can be assigned to the head office or the B branch. It is possible to accept orders in all sizes that can be printed by the printer device.

Further, even when the printable condition does not differ between the head office and the branch B, each branch is assigned the most efficient processing destination according to the processing status such as the availability of the printer device and the overcrowding of the branch B at the head office. It is possible to select
In general, effective use of an expensive printer device can be expected.

Further, even between the head office and the branch B, the print processing can be interchanged depending on conditions such as a difference in printable size and a degree of concentration of an order.

[0066]

According to the present invention, when accepting digital image data at a photo shop, the digital image data brought in by the customer and a number of accompanying image processing or additional information such as print instruction information are integrated. Manage,
The store can basically perform image processing and print work under certain conditions, thereby improving the productivity of printing digital image data. Furthermore, regarding the instruction of image processing, processing is performed by the server device as a standard, so that the processing capability of the photo print receiving device (terminal) is not required,
The system can be provided at low cost. In addition, by using the prepaid card for the collection of the processing and the printing fee, it is possible to provide a system that does not impose any extra burden on the store side even with respect to the number of prints and the complicated fee system for each processing specification.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a print processing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a reception management unit.

FIG. 3 is a sequence of a reception management unit.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a server device.

FIG. 5 is a relationship diagram between a terminal and a server device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 image data reading device 2 information input device 3 reception management unit 6 photo print reception device (terminal) 9 server device

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C061 AP10 AR01 HH03 HJ06 HK15 HL01 HN16 HN19 HQ17 2H106 BA44 BA95 BH00 5B021 AA01 BB01 BB04 BB08 CC02 EE01

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A photo print accepting device having operation means for inputting digital image data, an image processing instruction for the image data, a print instruction, and customer information, and the image data and image input to the photo accepting device. A server device for receiving a processing instruction, a print instruction and customer information via a communication line or an electronic medium, processing image data based on the image processing instruction, and instructing a printer according to the print instruction; and And a printer for printing in accordance with the instructions of (1). 2. The photographic processing system according to claim 1, wherein the server device can integrally process order information of one or more photographic print receiving devices. 3. The photo processing system according to claim 1, wherein the photo print receiving device uses a prepaid card for a function of collecting money and inputting customer information. 4. The photographic processing system according to claim 1, wherein said photographic print accepting device has a function of writing inputted customer information to a prepaid card. 5. The photographic processing system according to claim 1, wherein said photographic print accepting device has a prepaid card issuing function.