JP2002094909A - Centralized print system for digital photographing image, medium for recording centralized print program for the digital photographing image and centralized print method for the digital photographing image - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To overcome the problem of a conventional system such that cannot have flexibly met needs of customers such as a short-term delivery request because print paper is prone to cause waste when a digital photographing image printer sequentially executes printing in the order of applied print jobs and the printer cannot change the job execution sequence after receiving the print jobs. SOLUTION: A server and a client are interconnected in a two-way communication available way, the server acquires digital photographing image data through the two-way communication, acquires print management data to print out the digital photographing image data and prints out the acquired digital photographing image data on the basis of the print management data. Since various data are included in the print management data and the server and the client can variously conduct the data management on the basis of the data, a shop operating the digital photographing image printer can manage printing with high convenience.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a centralized printing system for digital photographic images, a medium storing a centralized printing program for digital photographic images, and a method for centralized printing of digital photographic images.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digital photographic image printing devices have become widespread in DPE shops, and data obtained by converting images taken by digital cameras or film images taken by silver halide photography into digital cameras for professional use in DPE shops. The photographed image can be printed by a high-performance inkjet printer or the like. In the digital photographic image printing device, since the photographic image to be printed is digitized, it is possible to adjust the color to a color desired by the user by retouching or the like, and try trial and error before printing. For example, various services can be provided as compared with the printing of silver halide photographs. Further, with the recent high-performance inkjet printers and the like, printing can be performed with image quality equivalent to that of silver halide photographs.

[0003]

The above-described conventional digital photographic image printing apparatus has the following problems. That is, in the printing by the digital photographic image printing apparatus, the printing is sequentially performed in the order of inputting the print jobs regardless of whether or not a blank is generated on the print paper. The job execution order cannot be changed after the submission, and it has not been possible to flexibly respond to customer requests such as requests for short delivery times.

[0004] Further, with regard to the consumables used in the digital photographic image printing apparatus, it is necessary for an employee of the installation shop to perform maintenance such as regular checking. In addition, customer management could not be performed based on information actually printed. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has a digital photo image centralized printing system and a digital photo image centralized printing system capable of performing highly convenient print management in a store that operates digital photo image printing devices. It is an object of the present invention to provide a medium on which a print program is recorded and a method for centrally printing digital photographic images.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a server acquires a plurality of digital photographic image data from a client connected to enable two-way communication, and the server acquires the digital photograph image data from the client. A digital photo image centralized print system that centrally manages printing of these digital photo image data, wherein the server includes:
Digital photographic image acquisition means for acquiring digital photographic image data to be printed via the two-way communication, and print management data for managing printing of the digital photographic image data via the two-way communication The print management data acquisition unit includes a print control unit that prints the acquired digital photographic image data based on the print management data acquired by the print management data acquisition unit.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a client and a server constitute a centralized printing system for digital photographic images, and the server is provided with a digital photographic image acquiring means through two-way communication. Then, digital photograph image data to be printed is acquired, and print management data for managing printing of the digital photograph image data is acquired by the print management data acquiring means via two-way communication. Then, the print control unit prints the acquired digital photographic image data based on the print management data acquired by the print management data acquisition unit.

That is, the server manages printing of a plurality of digital photographic image data with reference to the print management data, and various management data can be described in the print management data. As a result, if there are multiple print targets,
Alternatively, even when a large number of digital photographic images are included in one print job, various prints are executed as well as simply printing images for which print instructions have been issued, and print management is performed. be able to.

[0008] As described above, if various data are described in the print management data, various printing and print management can be performed. As specific examples, data for specifying the entity involved in the execution of the printing, data for specifying the print layout, data for specifying the priority of printing, and control of the printing in time series. Data for
Data for notifying of print execution, data for specifying a device involved in print execution, data for specifying a print target, and data for specifying digital photographic image data for print execution And any one or a combination of data for designating printing paper and color profile data of digital photographic image data.

That is, when data for specifying a customer, an operator, a store, and the like are described as a subject involved in the execution of printing, it is possible to specify which customer's digital photographic image data, and which operator performs printing. Can be specified. Further, in the case where the store where the client is installed is different from the location where the server is installed, or in a situation where there are a plurality of stores that perform a franchise, etc.,
It is possible to specify the store that has issued the print instruction. When data for specifying a print layout is described, it is possible to specify where and how to print a print target on print paper, and various printing can be executed. For example, if the number of pages and the number of repetitions of a print job are described, printing can be performed a plurality of times with one data, and if the data indicating whether reprinting is possible is described, the same digital photographic image data It is no longer necessary to obtain a multiple times. If the print position is specified, and if the server has a layout adjustment function, and if data indicating whether to use the function, and whether rotation or trimming is described, are described, the printout is performed on the print paper. Can be changed to print in various layouts.

Furthermore, when a predetermined layout template is stored in the server in advance, it is specified whether or not to use the layout template, and whether or not to print a mark for cutting the printing paper. By doing so, it is possible to print with more various layouts. Furthermore, by printing information about the print target and information specifying the print target such as a print page and a file name,
Various information associated with the print target can be printed at the same time. If you provide data indicating the priority of printing,
It is possible to execute printing regardless of the order in which the print instruction was issued, and it is possible to accurately respond to a customer's request for delivery time. If data for controlling the execution of printing in a time-series manner, for example, the date and time when a print execution instruction is issued or the date and time when printing can be discarded, the printing execution date and time is managed based on the creation date and time. Print management becomes possible. If data for notifying of print execution, for example, an e-mail address of an e-mail sent to a customer or a client is described, it is possible to notify a client or a client of start or end of print execution. it can.

When data for specifying a device involved in the execution of printing, for example, data for specifying a printer, a client, a server, or the like is described, a person who issues a print instruction designates a printer or a client who issues a print instruction. And a target server can be specified from a plurality of servers. If data for specifying a print job is described, each print job can be individually identified even if a plurality of print jobs are input. If data for specifying digital photographic image data related to execution of printing is described, for example, a file name of the digital photographic image data, a print job can be associated with digital photographic image data. If the data for specifying the printing paper is described, printing can be executed with the size and quality of the printing paper desired by the customer. When printing with a printer having a plurality of print units or ADFs, these selections can be automated. In addition, the above management can be performed by using these print management data, however, needless to say, the data described in the print management data is not limited to these, and various modes can be adopted.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, as an example of a client constituting the system as described above, in the centralized printing system for digital photographic images according to the first or second aspect, A digital photographic image data input unit for inputting digital photographic image data from an external image input device via two-way communication, a print management data input unit for receiving the input of the print management data, and the digital photographic image data input unit Data output means for outputting the digital photographic image data input through the two-way communication, and outputting the print management data received by the print management data input means via the two-way communication. .

That is, a client can obtain digital photographic image data and transmit the obtained digital photographic image data to the server via two-way communication so that a desired image can be printed. In addition, by inputting print management data in the client and transmitting the print management data to the server via two-way communication, the server can perform print management in accordance with designation on the client side.
More specifically, it is preferable that the client inputs the print management data while presenting the finish layout and the like to the customer, and the print management data is input while presenting various options on the setting screen at the time of printing. This client is preferably installed in a store, but of course,
A configuration in which a general customer can input digital photographic image data or the like via the Internet may be adopted.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the centralized digital photographic image printing system according to the third aspect, the client transmits the digital photographic image data input by the digital photographic image data input means. The digital photo image data correcting means is provided. In other words, by modifying the digital photographic image data in the client, it is possible to respond to various demands of the user, for example, by printing with a color desired by the user or by printing only a necessary portion of the image. .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the centralized digital photographic image print system according to any one of the third and fourth aspects, the digital photographic image data input means and the print management data input are provided. Either or a combination of the means and the digital photographic image data correcting means is configured to be provided in a physically separate client. That is, if the processes performed by the clients are performed by different clients, the work efficiency can be improved.

For example, if the digital photographic image data input means and the print management data input means are provided in separate clients, after a certain customer inputs digital photographic image data with the digital photographic image data input means, This customer can input print management data with another client. Therefore, another customer can input digital photographic image data with the digital photographic image data input means without waiting for the customer to finish inputting the print management data with the print management data input means. Of course, the same efficiency can be achieved even if a plurality of clients are provided with the digital photographic image data input means, the print management data input means, and the digital photographic image data correction means.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the centralized digital photographic image printing system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, one or a combination of the server and the client is A print management data output unit that outputs the contents of the print management data so that the user can recognize the print management data; And a print management unit that performs any one or combination of selection of a print target to be executed, deletion of the print target, and change of the print execution order based on the instruction received by the instruction reception unit.

That is, if it is possible for the client or the server to select a print target to be executed and delete the print target, it is possible to stop printing of a print job that has been input due to an error, thereby reducing unnecessary costs. If the print execution order can be changed, even if a print job with a very short delivery date is submitted with multiple print jobs already submitted, the order of the print jobs with a short delivery date will be increased to respond. can do.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the centralized printing system for digital photographic images according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, one or a combination of the server and the client is provided. The print control means of the server acquires the status of the printer for printing the digital photographic image data, and comprises a printer status output means for outputting the status so that the user can recognize it. That is, even if the user does not always know the printer status, the user can know the printer status at any time.

Further, as a specific example of the printer status, it is possible to adopt a configuration that is any one or a combination of the remaining amount of consumables used in the printer and the state of consumption of the printing paper mechanism. If the remaining amount of consumables used in the printer and the state of wear of the printing paper mechanism can be grasped, it is possible to replace the consumables or printing paper mechanism at an appropriate time. This is convenient for maintenance.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the centralized digital photographic image printing system according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, one or a combination of the server and the client is A print information storage unit for storing any or a combination of the status of the printer obtained by the printer status output unit, the print management data of the digital photo image data in an execution waiting state, and the execution log of the printed digital photo image data, And a storage information output unit that outputs the information stored by the print information storage unit so that the information can be visually recognized by an external computer connected via the bidirectional communication.

That is, an external computer to which information relating to the status of the printer to be stored, the print management data of the digital photographic image data in the execution waiting state, and the execution log of the printed digital photographic image data is connected via bidirectional communication. Is output so as to be visible. Therefore, it is possible to obtain data relating to print management from a computer other than the client and the server and from an external computer, and it is suitable for use by the head office of a affiliated store, a system management company, or the like.

According to this external computer, information relating to print management can be obtained. Therefore, it is preferable to perform maintenance using such information. For example, upgrade software via two-way communication, monitor printer status to arrange for supplies to be delivered before they are used up, or monitor print job processing for errors. It is possible to arrange countermeasures and countermeasures in the event of a printer or server failure.

Further, in the invention according to claim 11, in the centralized printing system for digital photographic images according to any one of claims 1 to 10, one or a combination of the server and the client is
It is configured to include a billing amount calculation unit that calculates a billing amount for each customer based on the number of times of printing or the printed area. That is, by calculating the billing amount for each customer based on the number of times printed or the area printed,
A pay-as-you-go billing system for using the present system can be provided.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the centralized printing system for digital photographic images according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the server is configured to execute the printing when the printing is completed. It is configured to include a print completion notifying unit that outputs information indicating that printing has been completed based on the print management data to a client that has output the digital photograph image data that has been printed, and causes the client to recognize the print completion. . That is, the completion of printing is notified to the client, and the operator or the client on the client side can clearly recognize the completion of printing.

Incidentally, such a centralized printing system for digital photographic images may exist as a single client or server, or may be used in a state of being incorporated in a certain device. Is not limited to this, and includes various aspects. Therefore,
It can be changed as appropriate, such as software or hardware. When the software of the centralized printing system for digital photographic images is used as an embodiment of the idea of the present invention, the software naturally exists and is used even on a recording medium on which such software is recorded. As an example thereof, the inventions according to claims 13 to 24 disclose a configuration of a medium on which a centralized printing program for digital photographic images having the same effects as those described in the above claims 1 to 12 is recorded. It is.

Of course, the recording medium may be a magnetic recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, or any recording medium to be developed in the future. Also, the duplication stages of the primary duplicated product, the secondary duplicated product, and the like are equivalent without any question. Further, even when a part is realized by software and a part is realized by hardware, the concept of the present invention is not completely different, and a part is stored on a recording medium and appropriately It may be in a form that can be read. Although different from the above-described medium, if the supply method is performed using a communication line, the communication line is used as a transmission medium and the present invention is used.

Further, in such a centralized printing program for digital photographic images, when processing is performed in accordance with such control, it is natural that the invention exists in the procedure, and the invention can be applied as a method. It is easy to understand. For this reason, claim 25 to claim 3
In the invention according to the sixth aspect, the operation is basically the same. In other words, it is not necessarily limited to tangible media, etc.
There is no difference that the method is effective.

[0029]

As described above, claim 1 and claim 1 have been described.
3. According to the present invention, a centralized printing system for digital photographic images capable of executing various printings and managing printing, a medium storing a centralized printing program for digital photographic images, and A method for centralized printing of digital photographic images can be provided. Further, according to the inventions according to claim 2, 14, and 26, detailed print management can be performed. further,
According to the invention according to claim 3, claim 15, or claim 27, the client acquires digital photographic image data,
By transmitting the obtained digital photographic image data to the server via the bidirectional communication, a desired image can be printed. Further, according to the inventions according to claims 4, 16, and 28, various colors of the user can be obtained by causing the user to print in a color desired by the user or to print only a necessary portion of the image. Can respond to requests.

Further, claim 5, claim 17, and claim 2
According to the ninth aspect, work efficiency can be improved. Further, according to the inventions according to claims 6, 18, and 30, it is possible to stop printing of a print job input due to an error, thereby reducing unnecessary cost. In addition, it is possible to answer requests with short delivery times. Further, according to the inventions according to claim 7, claim 19, and claim 31,
Even if the user does not always know the printer status, the user can grasp the printer status at any time. Further, claim 8, claim 20, and claim 32
According to the present invention, the convenience when stocking consumables or performing maintenance can be improved. Furthermore, according to the inventions according to claims 9, 21, and 33, it is possible to provide a system suitable for use by the head office of the affiliated store, a system management company, or the like. Further, according to the invention according to claim 10, 22, or 34,
Monitor the status of the printer to arrange for supplies to be delivered before they are exhausted, or monitor the processing status of print jobs to take action against errors and respond to printer or server failures. Is possible. Further, according to the invention according to claim 11, claim 23, and claim 35, it is possible to provide a pay-per-use billing system for use of the present system. Further, claim 12 and claim 2
4. According to the invention of claim 36, the operator and the client on the client side can clearly recognize the completion of printing.

[0031]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a specific configuration example of a centralized printing system for digital photographic images according to the present invention.
In this figure, the system is configured by connecting a plurality of client computers 10, 100, 101 and a server computer 40 having a printer with a 100BASE-T cable. In addition, the LAN formed by the 100BASE-T cable, the client computers 10, 100, 101, and the server computer 40 are installed in a DPE shop that performs printing in response to a customer request. This system is suitable to be introduced into a store because it can print a large amount with a high-performance printer and can reduce the cost of printing on a relatively large printing paper. Alternatively, a part thereof can be constituted by a computer for personal use.

Further, a predetermined router is connected to the LAN, and the server computer 40 also functions as a web server capable of two-way communication with the external Internet via the router. In the present embodiment, the roles of the client computers 10, 100, and 101 are different, and the client computer 10 captures digital photographic image data, the client computer 100 retouches digital photographic image data, and At 101, print management is performed. FIG. 2 shows a schematic hardware configuration of the client computer 10, and the client computers 100 and 101 have substantially the same hardware configuration. However, the client computer 10
Is connected to a digital camera 50 as an image input device.

First, the schematic hardware configuration shown in FIG. 2 will be described. The client computer 10 includes a CPU 11 which is a center of arithmetic processing.
Reference numeral 11 allows access to a ROM 13 and a RAM 14 in which a BIOS or the like is described via a system bus 12. A hard disk drive (HDD) 15 as an external storage device, a floppy (registered trademark) disk drive 16 and a CD-ROM drive 17 are connected to the system bus 12, and the OS 20 and various application programs stored in the HDD 15 are connected. (APL)
25a to 25c are transferred to the RAM 14 and the CPU 11
Executes the software by appropriately accessing the ROM 13 and the RAM 14. That is, various programs are executed using the RAM 14 as a temporary work area.

Operation input devices such as a keyboard 31 and a mouse 32 are connected to the serial communication I / O 19a, and a display 1 for display is provided via a video board (not shown).
8 is also connected. The server computer 40 is connected to the network via a 100BASE-T I / O 19c. Further, the client computer 10 is connected to the digital camera 50 as an external image input device via a 1394 I / O 19b. Here, the I / O 19b for 1394 is IEEE139
I / O for realizing high-speed serial connection conforming to the 4 standards
O. In the present embodiment, the digital camera 50 is configured such that a camera pack using a CCD element is attached to a camera body common to a silver halide photograph, and an image captured by the digital camera 50 is converted into data by the CCD element. The data is input to the client computer 10 as RAW data via the 1394 I / O 19b.

Although the configuration of the client computer 10 has been described in a simplified manner, a personal computer having a general configuration can be employed. Of course, the computer to which the present invention is applied is not limited to a personal computer. This embodiment is a so-called desktop computer,
It may be a notebook type or a mobile type. Also, the connection interface between the client computer 10 and the server computer 40 and the digital camera 50 need not be limited to those described above, but may be SCSI, USB,
Various connection modes such as connection can be adopted, and the same applies to any connection mode developed in the future. Further, as the configuration of the digital camera 50, if a camera body common to silver halide photography is used, conventional sophisticated hardware resources such as an interchangeable lens can be used. Although it is preferable in that the necessary components can be replaced as needed in response to the improvement in sensitivity, it is not necessary to limit the configuration to such a configuration, and it is also possible to use a lens-integrated digital camera or other imaging devices. It is.

In this example, the kind of each program is the HDD 15
, But the recording medium is not limited to this. For example, it may be a floppy disk 16a or a CD-ROM 17a. The programs recorded on these recording media are read by the client computer 10 via the floppy disk drive 16 and the CD-ROM drive 17 and installed on the HDD 15. And RAM via the HDD 15
14 to control the computer. The recording medium is not limited to this, and may be a magneto-optical disk or the like. It is also possible to use a non-volatile memory such as a flash card as a semiconductor device, and when accessing and downloading an external file server via a modem or a communication line, the communication line is a transmission medium. The present invention is utilized.

FIGS. 3 to 5 are block diagrams showing the configuration of the control system of the client computers 10, 100 and 101, respectively. As described above, since these client computers have different roles, the configuration of the control system differs as shown in the figure, but, of course, a client computer in which all or a part of the control system has the same configuration is used. A system configuration including one or a plurality of units may be employed, and a control configuration (not shown) such as control of the operation input device is common in many points. The digital camera 50 is connected to the client computer 10 as described above, and the clerk of the DPE shop shoots an image of a customer who has visited the store and prints the image upon printing the image according to the customer's request. The client computer to use.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the client computer 10 according to the present embodiment, a digital camera driver (digital camera DRV) 22 is incorporated in the OS 20. Digital photograph image data photographed by the digital camera 50 is stored in a memory (not shown) in the digital camera 50. The user performs a predetermined operation via the keyboard 31 and the mouse 32 while executing the capture APL 25a. By doing so, the RAW data can be taken into the client computer 10.

Specifically, the capture APL 25a
, The digital camera DRV22 is activated,
The digital camera DRV22 is the I / O1 for 1394
9b to control data communication with the digital camera 50b.
The RAW data stored in the internal memory is taken into the client computer 10. Further, the digital camera DRV22 is an RG that is a general-purpose mode for handling digital images in a computer using RAW data described in a format unique to the manufacturer of the digital camera 50.
Convert to B data. The converted RGB data is HD
In this case, an ICC profile conforming to the ICC standard is included in the RGB data in order to perform predetermined coloring in a print result while reducing the device dependence of the digital camera 50, the display 18, and the printer. Will be added. That is, the 1394 I / O 19b
And digital camera DRV22 and capture APL25a
These constitute the digital photographic image data input means.

These ICC profiles and RGB data are stored in the OS 20
Is transmitted to the server computer 40 via the 100BASE-T 19c under the control of. Further, in this embodiment, it can be said that the ICC profile forms a part of the print management data in the sense that it is used for print management. Of course, even if the RGB data is converted, it can be said that the RGB data is the digital photographic image data.

The client computer 100 has a DPE
When a shop clerk prints an image in response to a visitor's request, the client computer retouches the print result so that the print result has the desired color and the size of the shooting target. As shown in FIG. 4, in the client computer 100 according to the present embodiment, the OS 20
The retouch APL 25b can be executed under the execution of “0”. The retouching APL 25b is an application for executing a so-called photo retouching.
The bidirectional communication is performed via the ASE-T I / O 190c, the digital photographic image data based on the RGB data stored in the HDD 15 is read, and the image is displayed on the display 18 so as to be visible to the user. can do. That is, I / O1 for 100BASE-T
90c and the retouch APL 25b constitute the digital photographic image data correcting means.

Further, the user performs a predetermined operation through the keyboard 31 or the mouse 32 to execute desired filter processing or sharpness in order to correct the color, scratches, exposure, etc. of the digital photographic image. Digital photographic image data can be modified by performing processing, unsharpness processing, enlargement and reduction processing, and the like. The digital photographic image data after the correction can be stored in the HDD 15, can be stored in the HDD 150, and can be stored in the HDD 151 of the client computer 101 described later.

The client computer 101 has a DPE
A client computer that performs print job input and print management when a shop clerk prints an image in response to a customer's request. As shown in FIG. 5, the client computer 101 according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to execute the print job 25c under the execution of the OS 201. The print APL 25c is an application for inputting a print layout and a customer ID and submitting a print job.
The two-way communication is performed via the
5, the user can read desired digital photographic image data based on the RGB data and instruct the execution of printing as a print job.

More specifically, while executing the print job management APL 25c, the user performs a predetermined operation via the keyboard 31 and the mouse 32 to give a print execution instruction.
The user inputs print management data on the print execution screen. This input data is stored in the HDD 15 as a print management data file.
1 is stored. Further, the OS 201 incorporates a printer driver (PRTDRV) 211 corresponding to a printer under the control of the server computer 40. Then, in the execution of printing, the created print management data file, the digital photographic image data corresponding to the print instruction described in the print management data file, and the corresponding ICC profile are extracted from the HDD 15, and these are extracted from the 100BASE. -I / O 19c for T
Output via.

In the above client computers, three client computers share respective functions, but one client computer activates all or a combination of the capture APL 25a, the retouch APL 25b, and the print job management APL 25c. The system according to the present invention can be constructed even if the configuration is made possible, and it is convenient to configure the server computer 40 so that the same APL can be executed. Also,
These APLs may be configured to be executable by a computer connected to the Internet as well as the LAN as bidirectional communication.

FIG. 6 shows an example of information described in the print management data file. As shown in FIG. 6, the print management data file includes “client ID_date.J”.
A file name “OB” is given, and the contents are described in text data. In the file name shown in the figure, the client ID is “01234”, and the client ID is uniquely given to the client computer 10. That is, in the present embodiment, since the server computer 40 is connected to the network, it is possible to execute printing from another computer capable of executing the print job management APL 25c in the same manner as the client computer 101. It is possible to determine whether the printing has been executed from the client computer. The date is “0007011000”,
This shows that printing was executed at 10:00 on the first day of the month.

The print management data file roughly describes basic information, printer information, layout information, and image information. The basic information describes basic information related to printing, and is composed of various IDs, the number of pages, the priority of printing, and a layout flag indicating whether or not the server computer 40 automatically changes the layout. ing. The various IDs are a job ID for uniquely identifying a job in addition to the client ID.
And a customer ID for uniquely identifying a customer, an operator ID for uniquely identifying a user, and a store ID for uniquely identifying a DPE shop.

The number of pages specifies the number of pages to be printed, and also includes information for performing duplicate printing by giving an instruction to repeatedly execute a print job. The print priority designates the print execution priority specified by this print management data file, and the server computer 40 prints the print priority in descending order of priority in principle. The layout flag describes whether the server computer 40 automatically changes the layout, using a binary number of “0” or “1”.
In addition to the above, various information can be described in the basic information, such as a print execution date and time, a flag indicating whether or not reprinting is permitted, and digital photographic image data and a print management data file stored in the server computer 40. Data for designating a discarding time, data used for giving a predetermined notification by e-mail or the like after printing, and the like can be described.

In the printer information, various definitions for designating an output printer are made, and a printer ID for uniquely designating the output printer and data indicating a paper size and a paper type used by the printer are described. .
In the layout information, a template ID indicating whether or not to use a later-described template stored in the server computer 40 in advance and a guide flag indicating whether to print a cut guide indicating a cutting position upon printing are described. . In addition, it is possible to describe whether or not to print various information for identifying the customer, the number of pages, and individual digital photographic image data.

The image information defines an image to be printed. In addition to the file name of the digital photographic image data for which a print instruction has been issued, whether to allow rotation of the image and whether to allow trimming in printing is specified. Information indicating whether or not it is included is also described. In the above example, the file name of the digital photographic image data is “0123401.tif”, and a so-called TIFF file is shown as an example. However, various file formats such as a JPEG file and a GIF file can be adopted.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the server computer 40, and FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of the server computer 40.
In FIG. 7, a server computer 40 includes a CPU 41 which is a center of the arithmetic processing. The CPU 41 can access a ROM 43 and a RAM 44 via a system bus 42. The system bus 42 has H
The DD 46 and the 100 BASE-T I / O 48 are connected, and the digital photographic image data transmitted from the client computer 101 is transmitted to the 100 BASE-T.
And can be spooled to the HDD 46 via the application I / O 48. Further, it is possible to spool the digital photographic image data of the input job by dividing it into print jobs of one page, which is a predetermined allocation unit, as described later. Templates can be stored. In the present embodiment, the predetermined allocation unit is one page, and if it is one page, various paper sizes can be selected.

With such a configuration, the CPU 41 stores in the ROM 43
And accesses the RAM 44 as appropriate to execute the software installed in the OS 47. That is, the RAM 44 is a buffer memory for storing digital photographic image data at the time of executing printing, and is a work area at the time of executing software, and the CPU 41 executes the printer controller 4 based on the digital photographic image data stored in the RAM 44.
5 to print an image. That is, in the present embodiment, the printer included in the server computer 40 includes an ADF, a print head, and the like (not shown), and the printer controller 45 controls these mechanisms. still,
In the present embodiment, the description will be made on the assumption that A3 paper is loaded in the ADF. However, it is needless to say that an ADF capable of loading print paper of other sizes, an ADF using so-called roll paper, or the like can be adopted. Alternatively, a configuration having both of them is also possible.

Further, the CPU 41 can construct a print layout according to each module incorporated in the OS 47 while referring to a print management data file obtained from the client computer 101 via the 100BASE-T I / O 48. Server computer 4
The OS 47 of the OS 0 is composed of a group of modules shown in FIG. 8, and the acquisition module 47a controls the I / O 48 for 100BASE-T and the HDD 46, and outputs the ICC profile and the R of the image.
100 BAS for GB data and print management data file
The data is acquired via the I / O for ET 48 and stored in the HDD 46.

The division module 47b refers to the print management data file stored in the HDD 46, divides the stored RGB data into data for each page as an allocation unit, and generates a print job for each page. That is, at the stage when the print job is input, even if the print job includes a plurality of images and a plurality of pages, the division module 47b divides the print job into allocation units whose layout can be changed, that is, one page unit. I do.

The sort module 47c includes the HDD 4
6, the divided print jobs are sorted in the order of priority with reference to the print priority described in the print management data file stored in the print management data file. In the sorted print jobs, the divided print jobs are arranged in descending order of priority, and the page size, layout flag, template ID, and image rotation of the print job required by the layout construction module, which will be described later, are allowed. Also, information indicating whether or not to print the image information or the like is added.

The layout construction module 47d processes the print jobs sorted by the sort module 47c in the order of priority, assigns digital photograph data to an allocation unit in each print job, and further rotates the allocation unit. And assign it to A3 paper to build a layout. That is, in the present embodiment, the layout in a page is first defined by allocation to a predetermined unit, and the allocation to a print sheet to be printed is defined by further allocating the page to the print paper. Specifically, when the template to be used is designated by the template ID shown in FIG.
Each image is allocated so that the image of the RGB data is printed in a state where the image is arranged on the template. When the layout flag is turned off, the layout is constructed so as to be arranged at the left corner of the margin of the printing paper without rotating the page after the layout. When the layout flag is ON, the orientation of the print result is rotated relative to the print paper feed direction so that the margin in a direction substantially perpendicular to the paper feed direction of the print paper is reduced according to a flowchart described later. The layout is constructed such that the print result is packed on one side in a direction substantially perpendicular to the paper feed direction.

The print module 47e generates print data to be transferred to the printer controller 45 based on the digital photographic data to be printed, and drives the drive mechanism such as a print head (not shown) in the printer controller 45, so that the layout construction module Printing is performed according to the layout constructed by 47d. Needless to say, the print module 47e generates print data based on the stored ICC profile so as to perform color development with reduced device dependency of the printer. Log generation module 47
f is the above acquisition module 47a, division module 47
b, a log of the processing performed by the sort module 47c, the layout construction module 47d, and the print module 47e is monitored, and the log is written in a file one by one to generate a log file, which is stored in the HDD 46. ing.

The server computer 40 also functions as a web server as described above.
O4 based on a predetermined command received via O48
6 can be accessed. Since the above-described print management data file, log file, and the like are stored in the HDD 46, the CGI program 49 refers to these files and enables the browser of a computer accessed via the external Internet to recognize the information. Create an HTML file to do so. Specifically, CGI
The program 49 is an interface that executes a predetermined program in response to a request from the browser and returns a predetermined result to a computer accessed via the Internet. HTM created above
Output L file.

The HDD 46 storing the various files described above classifies and stores files and digital photographic image data in a tree structure shown in FIG. That is,
A folder for a digital photo image centralized print system is created in a so-called root directory. Under the folder, "@INFO", "@SPOOL", and "@S
Folders “TORE”, “@LOG”, and “@HOMEPAGE” have been created. Under the "@INFO" folder, "@DATA" and "@PRINTE"
R, "$ TEMPLATE" and "$ print management data file" folders have been created.
The “A” folder stores the above digital photographic image data with a file name such as “0123401.tif”.

In the “$ PRINTER” folder, “PRINTER.t” in which information for specifying the printer such as the printer ID of the printer and the status of the printer are described.
xt ”is saved. Also, "@TEM
The “PLATE” folder stores a layout template indicating whether or not a digital photo image is to be allocated at a predetermined position on a certain type of printing paper, and the “、 print management data file” folder stores the print management data file. Will be saved. The “$ SPOOL” folder stores the data of each print job that has been sorted by the sort module and is in a print waiting state.
In the “$ STORE” folder, data of a print job in a reprintable state is stored.

A log file generated by the log generation module 47f is stored in the “$ LOG” folder.
An HTML file created by the CGI program is stored in the “@HOMEPAGE” folder. These folders are the I / O4 for 100BASE-T, respectively.
The client computer 101 can refer to the status of the printer from the outside via the client computer 101. Thus, H
DD 46 constitutes the print information storage means,
The I / O 48 for SE-T and the HDD 46 constitute the storage information output means. Of course, it is possible to restrict access to these folders, and it is also possible to configure such that only specific information can be accessed or only access from a specific computer can be accepted.

Hereinafter, the processing performed by the client computer 101 and the server computer 40 in the above configuration will be described based on the flow. FIG. 10 is a schematic processing flow of the print job management APL 25c. In the figure, the user operates the keyboard 31 and the mouse 32.
Then, a desired image to be printed is selected from the digital photographic image data stored in the HDD using the above-described method. The print job management APL 25c determines in step S110 whether or not the printing of the selected image has been instructed. If it is determined in step S110 that printing has been instructed, the process shown in FIG. A print instruction interface screen 60 is displayed. The interface screen 60 is provided with a customer ID input box 61 for inputting an ID for identifying a customer. In the operator input box 62, DP
An operator is input so as to know which clerk of the E-shop has performed the operation. In the automatic layout check box 63, whether or not to perform automatic layout is checked and input.

In the priority input box 64, the print priority of the print job according to the print instruction is input. In the template input box 65, when a template is desired to be used, a desired template can be designated by its number. In the image file designation box 66, digital photograph image data to be printed is designated by a file name. Further, detailed settings 67 are displayed on the interface screen 60.
Button is provided, and by clicking the detailed setting button 67 to display another screen, the customer I
In addition to D and the like, data described in the print management data can be input. A print instruction button 68 is provided on the interface screen 60. The print instruction button 68 is displayed in a state where predetermined data is input to the input boxes and the like.
A print job can be submitted by pressing.

In the flow shown in FIG. 10, when this interface screen 60 is displayed in step S120, input of various information to the above-mentioned input boxes and the like is accepted in step S130, and the print instruction button is entered in step S140. It is determined whether or not a print execution instruction has been issued by clicking 68. If it is determined in step S140 that a print execution instruction has been issued, the digital photographic image data file and the ICC profile are transmitted to the server computer 40 in step S150. At this time, the print management data file is generated based on the data input on the interface screen 60, stored in the HDD 151, and transmitted to the server computer 40. That is, the processing in steps S130 and S140 corresponds to the print management data input unit, and the processing in step S1
The process 50 corresponds to the data output means.

On the other hand, if it is not determined in step S110 that printing has been instructed, it is determined in step S160 whether execution of job management has been instructed. If it is determined in step S160 that job management execution has been instructed, the job management process in step S170 is performed. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the job management process.
In the job management processing shown in the above figure, the interface screen 70 shown in FIG. Accept.

The interface screen 70 includes a display window 76 on the right side and various buttons on the left side. On the left side, a print management data reference button 71, a printer status reference button 72, a running job reference button 73, a log reference button 74, An end button 75 is provided. The display window 76 is a window for displaying the corresponding information when these buttons are pressed. In FIG. 13, a running job reference button 73 is pressed. Jobs are displayed in priority order. The running job is a job divided / sorted by the server computer 40 as described later.

The print management data reference button 71 is a button for referring to the print management data. By pressing this button, the contents of the print management data file are displayed in the display window 76.
The printer status reference button 72 is a button for referring to the status of the printer connected to the server computer 40. By pressing this button, the status of the printer is displayed in the display window 76. The log reference button 74 is the server computer 40
Is a button for displaying a log of the processing performed by the user, and the log is displayed in the display window 76 by pressing the button. The job management process can be ended by pressing the end button 75.

If it is determined in step S220 in the flow of FIG. 12 that the print management data reference button 71 on the interface screen 70 has been pressed, the flow proceeds to step S230 in which the 100BASE-T I / O 191c has been pressed.
The server computer 40 is accessed via
The print management data file stored in the “$ print management data file” folder of the DD 40 is acquired. And
In step S235, the contents of the obtained file are displayed in the display window 76, and the processing in step S220 and thereafter is repeated. If it is determined in step S220 that the printer status reference button 72 on the interface screen 70 has been pressed, the server computer 40 is accessed via the 100BASE-T I / O 191c in step S240, and the "@"
PRINT stored in the "PRINTER" folder
R. Get a txt file. Then, step S2
At 45, the contents of the obtained file are displayed in the display window 76, and the processing from step S220 is repeated. That is, the processes in steps S240 and S245 correspond to the printer status output unit.

If it is determined in step S220 that the log reference button 74 on the interface screen 70 has been pressed, then in step S250 the 100BASE-T
The server computer 40 is accessed via the user I / O 191c to acquire the log file stored in the “@LOG” folder of the HDD 40. And step S
At 255, the contents of the obtained file are displayed in the display window 76, and the processing from step S220 is repeated.

If it is determined in step S220 that the in-execution job reference button 73 on the interface screen 70 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S260 in which the 100 BA
The server computer 40 is accessed via the SE-T I / O 191c, and “@SPOOL” of the HDD 40 is accessed.
Obtain the data of each print job stored in the folder. Then, in step S262, the content of the acquired data is displayed on the display window 76 as shown in FIG. 13, and the operation input of the mouse 32 is accepted. That is, the processes of steps S210, S235, and S262 correspond to the print management data output unit.

When a right button of the mouse 32 is clicked while pointing the print job with the pointer of the mouse 32 in the display window 76, a predetermined pull-down menu is displayed. Can be deleted and the order can be changed. In step S264, it is received whether or not an instruction to change the print job or the like has been made by the pull-down menu. If an instruction to change or the like has been made in step S264, the above-mentioned “@SPOOL” is issued in step S266 as the instruction. The data stored in the folder is rewritten, and the processing from step S220 is repeated. If it is determined in step S220 that the end button on the interface screen 70 has been pressed, the process returns to the process of FIG. That is, step S26
Step 4 corresponds to the above-mentioned instruction receiving means, and step S26
The process 6 corresponds to the print management unit.

On the other hand, the server computer 40 is configured as shown in FIGS.
The processing shown in FIG. 16 is performed. FIG. 14 is a schematic flow of the processing performed by the server computer 40. In the figure, in step S310, the acquisition module 47a acquires the digital photographic image data file and the ICC profile output from the client computer 101 via the 100BASE-T I / O 48, and stores them in the HDD 46. I do. In step S315,
The acquisition module 47a acquires the print management data file and stores it in the HDD 46. That is, the processing in step S310 corresponds to the digital photographic image obtaining means, and the processing in step S315 corresponds to the print management data obtaining means.

In step S320, the division module 47b issues an instruction to print a plurality of images or a plurality of pages in one print job with respect to the digital photographic image data relating to the plurality of print jobs stored in the HDD 46. The job is divided into print units for each page regardless of whether or not the job is performed. Then, in step S325, the sort module 47c sorts the divided jobs in order of their priority while referring to the print management data file. The data relating to the sorted job is stored in the “$ SPOO” in the HDD 46.
L "folder.

Then, in step S330, the layout construction module 47d refers to the print management data file stored in the "$ print management data file" of the HDD 46, and determines whether or not it is specified to use the layout template. Determine. Step S33
When it is determined that the template is designated to be used at 0, the digital photo image data of the sorted print job is allocated to a predetermined position of the designated template at step S340. Step S3
If it is not determined that the template is designated to be used in step 30, the digital photo image data of the sorted print job is allocated to the margin of the print page left-justified in step S335 as usual.

As described above, steps S335, S340
After the digital photo image data is allocated to the print page, the print page is rotated in accordance with the designation of the layout flag, and the layout construction processing is performed. That is, in step S345, by referring to the print management data file, it is determined whether or not the layout flag of each of the divided print jobs is turned on. If it is determined in step S345 that the layout flag is on, a layout construction process described later is executed in step S350. If it is not determined in step S345 that the layout flag is ON, the print page is not rotated or the like, and the layout is printed in a blank portion of the print sheet as usual.

After the layout of the print page of the print page related to a certain print job is constructed in this way, it is determined in step S355 whether the layout on the print paper has been constructed for all of the sorted print jobs. Determine. If it is not determined in step S355 that the layout construction of all print jobs has been completed, it is further determined in step S360 whether or not there is a margin on the printing paper.
The print module 47e controls the printer controller 45 to execute printing. If it is determined in step S360 that there is a margin, the processing in step S330 and thereafter is repeated. Further, when it is determined in step S355 that the layout construction of all print jobs has been completed, the print processing in step S365 is executed. That is,
The processes in steps S320 to S365 correspond to the print control unit.

When the printing process is executed as described above, the printing module 47e determines in step S370 that the H
With reference to the print management data file stored in the DD 46, each mail address of the client that has input the print job is extracted, and a mail is transmitted to notify that the printing is completed. That is, the process of step S370 corresponds to the print completion notification unit. Further, the log generation module 47f performs steps S310 to S3.
The log of the process 70 is written out to a log file, and the file is stored in the “$ LOG” folder of the HDD 46 in step S375.

FIGS. 15 and 16 are flowcharts showing the layout construction processing. In the figure, in step S410, a printable area, which is a margin on a print sheet to which print pages are not allocated, is acquired. Here, as described above, the printing paper in this description is assumed to be A3 paper, and when a printing page is not allocated to a certain printing paper, all of the A3 paper is acquired as a printable area. When assigned, the printable area is acquired so as to be the largest rectangle while allowing overlap in the margin as described later.

In step S412, the width and height of the printable area thus obtained are obtained. Step S
At 414, the width and height of the print page of the sorted print job are acquired. Here, the width of the printable area means the length in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction during printing,
The height of the printable area refers to the length in the paper feed direction during printing. The width of the print page refers to the length of the print page in the left-right direction, and the height of the print page refers to the length of the print page in the vertical direction.

In step S416, it is determined whether the width of the printable area is equal to or greater than the width of the print page, and whether the height of the printable area is equal to or greater than the height of the print page.
That is, it is determined whether or not the print page fits within the printable area in the vertical direction in which the vertical direction of the print page and the paper feed direction during printing are parallel. Same step S
If it is determined in 416 that the width of the printable area is equal to or greater than the width of the print page, and that the height of the printable area is equal to or greater than the height of the print page, the width of the printable area is set in step S418 to “ It is determined whether the value multiplied by "0.9" is smaller than the print page width. That is, when the width of the printable area multiplied by “0.9” is smaller than the print page width, there is a sufficient margin in the width direction of the printable area, and in step S418, the width of the printable area is set to “print”. It can be said that it is determined whether or not it is sufficiently larger than the page width.

If it is not determined in step S418 that the width of the printable area multiplied by “0.9” is smaller than the width of the print page, that is, if there is a sufficient margin in the width direction, the print page is Since the margin may be smaller when rotated by 90 °, in step S420, the layout of the print pages on the print paper is temporarily determined in the left-justified arrangement in the vertical direction. If it is determined in step S418 that the width of the printable area multiplied by “0.9” is smaller than the print page width, there is no large margin in the width direction. Is determined for the printing paper.

In step S422, it is determined whether the width of the printable area is equal to or greater than the height of the print page and whether the height of the printable area is equal to or greater than the width of the print page.
That is, it is determined whether or not the print page fits within the printable area in the horizontal direction in which the vertical direction of the print page and the paper feed direction during printing are at right angles. Same step S
If it is determined in 422 that the width of the printable area is equal to or greater than the height of the print page, and that the height of the printable area is equal to or greater than the width of the print page, the width of the printable area is set to “S424”. It is determined whether or not the value multiplied by “0.9” is smaller than the height of the print page. That is, it is determined whether there is a sufficient margin in the width direction when the image is arranged in the horizontal direction.

If it is determined in step S424 that the width of the printable area multiplied by "0.9" is smaller than the height of the printed page, there is no large margin in the width direction in the horizontal arrangement, and thus step S430 is performed. In step 2, the layout of the print pages to the printing paper is determined in the left-justified arrangement in the horizontal direction. In step S424, the width of the printable area is set to "0.
If it is not determined that the product of "9" times is smaller than the height of the print page, it is determined in step S426 whether or not the layout has been temporarily determined in the vertical direction. In step S430, the layout of the print pages to the print paper in the left-justified arrangement in the horizontal direction is determined.

If it is determined in step S426 that the layout has been provisionally determined in the vertical direction, then in step S428, the layout of the print pages to the print paper in the vertical alignment is determined. In step S432, it is determined whether the allocation of the print page has been determined in the above series of processing. If it is determined in step S432 that the allocation of the print page has been determined, the allocated area in step S434 is stored in the above-described area. It is deleted from the printable area acquired in step S410. In this way, the allocation process in the predetermined print job is completed, and the process returns to the flow of FIG.

Hereinafter, an example of the operation of the present system in the above configuration and flow will be described. In this operation example, it is assumed that the clerk of the DPE shop operates the client computer 101 and submits a plurality of print jobs in response to requests of a plurality of customers. Specifically, in the interface screen 60 of FIG.
5, A6, A4, A5, and A6 print jobs are input, and the interface screen 70 of FIG.
It is assumed that a priority, a layout flag, and a template ID are designated as shown in a display window 76 in FIG.

When the clerk of the DPE shop submits a plurality of print jobs in this manner, the server computer 40
Are steps S310 to S300 for each print job.
By performing the process of 325, the print job is divided and sorted as shown in the display window 76. Here, in print job 1, the layout flag of the print job is “0”.
Is specified to use the template with the template ID “1”. The layout flags of the print jobs 2 to 5 are “1”, the layout is changed by the above-described layout construction processing, and the print jobs 2 to 5 are appropriately allocated to predetermined positions of A3 paper, which is the print paper loaded in the printer of the server computer 40. .

More specifically, as shown on the left side of FIG. 17, the printing paper is A3, and the print page of each print job is vertically in the vertical direction in FIG. Since the template ID 1 is specified in the print job 1, the process proceeds to step S3.
At 30, a template use instruction is determined,
A digital photographic image is allocated to the template shown in the figure of A5 size, and a print page is further allocated to the upper left corner of A3 printing paper. Then, step S35
After performing determinations in steps S5, S360, S330, and S345, a layout construction process is executed for print job 2.
At this time, as shown on the right side of FIG. 17 in step S410, the printable areas 1 and 2 having the largest rectangle while allowing overlap in the margin after the print job 1 is allocated.
To get.

Further, since the print job 2 fits in the width and height of the printable area 1 in the vertical direction, step S41
After the determination in step 6, it is determined whether the width of the printable area 1 multiplied by "0.9" is smaller than the width of the print job 2. Here, since the printing paper is A3, the width of the printable area 1 is half the width thereof, and the width of the print job 2 is A6, the width of the printable area 1 is set to “0.9” in step S418. Is determined to be smaller than the width of print job 2, and A6 in printable area 1 is determined in step S428.
The print job 2 is vertically aligned to the left, that is, assigned to the top of the printable area 1 as shown on the left side of FIG.

Further, for print job 3, FIG.
As shown in FIG.
Is obtained. Since the print job 3 is A4 size, it does not fit in the printable area 3 and the print job 3
It is not allocated to the printable area 3 by the determination in step S432. On the other hand, print job 3 has printable area 4
Can be accommodated only in the horizontal arrangement with respect to
After the determinations in steps S422 and S424, in step S430, assignment is made in the horizontal direction as shown in the right side of FIG.

The remaining printable area 5 does not fit the A5 sheet of the print job 4 as shown in FIG. Therefore, no allocation is performed in the layout construction processing, and the above-mentioned “$ S
The print job is held in a print waiting state while being stored in the “POOL” folder. On the other hand, since the A6 sheet of the print job 5 is set in the printable area 5 in the horizontal direction, the process proceeds to step S42.
After the determination in steps S2 and S424, in step S430 FIG.
Are allocated in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. When the print jobs 1, 2, 3, and 5 are allocated to the print paper A3 as described above, the print paper has no blank space. Therefore, the print is executed in step S365 after the determination in step S360, and the print is executed in step S370. In step S375, a mail indicating completion of execution is transmitted to the client, and the log file is stored in step S375. This log file describes that the print job 4 is waiting for printing. Thereafter, when a print job is further input, layout construction processing including the print job 4 is performed, and when a print job is not input, only the print job 4 is printed while being left-justified in the vertical direction. I do.

As described above, by referring to the print management data after executing printing, it is possible to identify the customer for each print job. However, if the accounting is performed according to the number of times or the area, the accounting can be performed without depending on the ink type of the printer. In addition, even when the system is leased to each DPE shop, if the leasing source charges the DPE shop according to the number of times of printing or the area of printing, the type of ink used in the printer can be adjusted. Billing can be performed without dependence.

As described above, according to the present invention, the server and the client are connected so as to be capable of two-way communication, and the server acquires digital photographic image data via the two-way communication and prints the digital photographic image data. And prints the obtained digital photographic image data based on the print management data. Here, various data are described in the print management data, and various managements can be performed based on the data by the server and the client, so that the store that operates the digital photographic image printing device has high convenience. Printing management can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a specific configuration example of a digital photographic image centralized printing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic hardware configuration of a client computer.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system of a client computer.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system of a client computer.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system of a client computer.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of information described in a print management data file.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a server computer.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system of the server computer.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a tree structure configured by an HDD.

FIG. 10 is a schematic processing flow of a print job management APL.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an interface screen of a print instruction.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a job management process.

FIG. 13 illustrates an interface screen of the print job management APL.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a process executed by a server computer.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a process executed by a server computer.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a process executed by a server computer.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a layout construction example.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a layout construction.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a layout construction example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Client computer 11 ... CPU 12 ... System bus 13 ... ROM 14 ... RAM 15 ... HDD 16 ... Floppy disk drive 16a ... Floppy disk 17 ... CD-ROM drive 17a ... CD-ROM 18 ... Display 20 ... OS 211 ... PRTDRV 22 ... Digital camera DRV 25a ... Capture APL 25b ... Retouch APL 25c ... Print job management APL 31 ... Keyboard 32 ... Mouse 40 ... Server computer 41 ... CPU 42 ... System bus 43 ... ROM 44 ... RAM 45 ... Printer controller 46 ... HDD 47a ... Acquisition module 47b Division module 47c Sort module 47d Layout construction module 47e Printing module 47f Log generation module 49 CGI program 50 Digital camera 60 Interface screen 61 Customer ID input box 62 Operator input box 63 Automatic layout check box 64 Priority input box 65 Template input box 66 Image file designation box 67 Detailed setting button 68 ... print instruction button 70 ... interface screen 71 ... print management data reference button 72 ... printer status reference button 73 ... running job reference button 74 ... log reference button 75 ... end button

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 1/32 H04N 1/32 Z (72) Inventor Nobuhisa Takabayashi 3-5-5 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Seiko Epson Corporation (72) Inventor Masaru Hoshino 3-3-5 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Seiko Epson Corporation (72) Inventor Atsushi Hatta 3-3-5, Yamato Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Seiko Epson Corporation Of which F-term (reference) 2C061 AR01 HH03 HJ06 HJ08 HK11 HK15 HP04 HQ17 HR02 HV19 HV26 5B021 AA01 BB02 BB10 EE01 5C052 AA11 FA03 FA05 FA06 FA07 FA09 FD06 FE08 5C062 AA13 CD22 AC38 CB02

Claims (36)

[Claims] 1. A server for acquiring a plurality of digital photographic image data from a client connected to enable two-way communication, and for centrally managing the printing of the digital photographic image data in the server. A print system, wherein the server is a digital photographic image acquisition unit that acquires digital photographic image data to be printed via the bidirectional communication, and prints the digital photographic image data via the bidirectional communication. Print management data acquisition means for acquiring print management data for management, and print control means for printing the acquired digital photographic image data based on the print management data acquired by the print management data acquisition means. A centralized printing system for digital photographic images. 2. The centralized printing system for digital photographic images according to claim 1, wherein the print management data includes data for specifying an entity involved in the execution of the printing, and data for specifying a print layout. And data for specifying the priority of printing, data for controlling printing execution in time series, data for notifying of printing execution, and data for specifying devices involved in printing execution And any one of data for specifying a print job, data for specifying digital photographic image data for performing printing, data for specifying printing paper, and color profile data of digital photographic image data. A centralized printing system for digital photographic images, characterized in that the system is or a combination. 3. The centralized printing system for digital photographic images according to claim 1, wherein the client inputs digital photographic image data from an external image input device via two-way communication. Digital photographic image data input means; print management data input means for receiving the input of the print management data; digital photographic image data input by the digital photographic image data input means being output via the bidirectional communication; A centralized printing system for digital photographic images, comprising: data output means for outputting the print management data received by the management data input means via the bidirectional communication. 4. The centralized printing system for digital photographic images according to claim 3, wherein the client includes digital photographic image data correcting means for correcting the digital photographic image data input by the digital photographic image data inputting means. A centralized printing system for digital photographic images. 5. The digital photographic image centralized printing system according to claim 3, wherein the digital photographic image data input means, the print management data input means, and the digital photographic image data correcting means are connected to each other. A centralized printing system for digital photographic images, wherein either or a combination is provided in a physically separate client. 6. The centralized printing system for digital photographic images according to claim 1, wherein one of or a combination of the server and the client allows the user to read the contents of the print management data. A print management data output unit for recognizing the output, an instruction receiving unit for receiving an instruction regarding execution of printing performed while the user visually recognizes the output by the print management data output unit, and an instruction received by the instruction reception unit. A centralized printing system for digital photographic images, comprising: a print management unit for performing any one of or a combination of selection of a print target to be executed, deletion of a print target, and change of a print execution order based on the print target. 7. The centralized printing system for digital photographic images according to claim 1, wherein one of or a combination of the server and the client is such that the print control means of the server is a digital photographic image. A centralized printing system for digital photographic images, comprising: printer status output means for acquiring a status of a printer for printing data and outputting the status so that a user can recognize the status. 8. A centralized printing system for digital photographic images according to claim 1, wherein the status of the printer output by the printer status output means is a consumable used by the printer. A centralized printing system for digital photographic images, which is one or a combination of a remaining amount and a state of consumption of a printing paper mechanism. 9. The centralized printing system for digital photographic images according to claim 1, wherein one of or a combination of the server and the client is a printer acquired by the printer status output unit. Print information storage means for storing any one or a combination of the print management data of the digital photographic image data and the execution log of the printed digital photographic image data in an execution waiting state, and the print information storage means. A centralized printing system for digital photographic images, comprising: stored information output means for outputting information so that the information can be visually recognized by an external computer connected via the bidirectional communication. 10. The centralized printing system for digital photographic images according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein one or a combination of the server and the client is connected via the two-way communication. A centralized printing system for digital photographic images, which can be maintained by an external computer. 11. The digital photographic image centralized printing system according to claim 1, wherein one or a combination of the server and the client is based on the number of times of printing or the area of printing. A centralized printing system for digital photographic images, comprising a billing amount calculating means for calculating a billing amount for each customer. 12. The centralized printing system for digital photographic images according to claim 1, wherein the server outputs the digital photographic image data having been printed when the printing is completed. Output information indicating that printing has been completed to the client based on the print management data,
A centralized printing system for digital photographic images, comprising: a printing completion notifying unit for causing the client to recognize the printing completion. 13. A digital photo image concentrator for acquiring a plurality of digital photo image data from a client connected to enable two-way communication and for centrally managing the printing of these digital photo image data in the server. A medium storing a print program, the server comprising: a digital photographic image acquisition function for acquiring digital photographic image data to be printed via the bidirectional communication; and the digital photographic image via the bidirectional communication. A print management data acquisition function for acquiring print management data for managing data printing; a print control function for printing the acquired digital photographic image data based on the print management data acquired by the print management data acquisition function; A centralized printing program for digital photographic images characterized by realizing Body. 14. A medium recording the digital photographic image centralized print program according to claim 13, wherein the print management data includes data for specifying an entity involved in the execution of the printing and a print layout. Data for specifying print priority, data for controlling print execution in chronological order, data for notifying of print execution, and devices involved in print execution are specified. , Data for specifying a print job, data for specifying digital photographic image data required to execute printing, data for specifying printing paper, and a color profile of digital photographic image data. A medium for recording a digital photographic image centralized printing program, which is characterized by being one or a combination with data. . 15. A medium in which a digital photographic image centralized print program according to claim 13 or 14 is recorded, wherein said client is provided with a digital photographic image via bidirectional communication from an external image input device. A digital photograph image data input function for inputting data; a print management data input function for receiving the print management data input; and a digital photograph image data input by the digital photograph image data input function being output via the bidirectional communication. And a data output function of outputting the print management data received by the print management data input function via the two-way communication. 16. A medium in which the digital photographic image centralized printing program according to claim 15 is recorded, wherein the digital photographic image data corrected by the digital photographic image data input function to the client by the digital photographic image data input function. A medium recording a digital photographic image centralized printing program characterized by realizing a correction function. 17. A medium on which a digital photographic image centralized printing program according to claim 15 or 16 is recorded, wherein the digital photographic image data input function, the print management data input function, and the digital photographic image data A medium storing a centralized print program for digital photographic images, wherein any one of or a combination with the correction function is realized by a physically separate client. 18. A medium in which a digital photographic image centralized print program according to any one of claims 13 to 17 is recorded, wherein the content of the print management data is stored in one or a combination of the server and the client. A print management data output function that allows the user to recognize the output, an instruction reception function that receives an instruction related to the execution of printing performed while the user visually recognizes the output by the print management data output function, and an instruction reception function that receives the instruction A digital photograph image concentration function for realizing a print management function for selecting or executing a print target, deleting a print target, and changing a print execution order based on a received instruction. A medium on which a print program is recorded. 19. A medium in which a digital photographic image centralized print program according to any one of claims 13 to 18 is recorded, wherein one or a combination of the server and the client is provided with a print control function of the server. A printer status output function for acquiring a printer status for printing digital photographic image data and realizing a printer status output function by a user. 20. A medium on which a digital photographic image centralized printing program according to claim 13 is recorded, wherein the printer status output by the printer status output function is used by the printer. A medium for recording a digital photographic image centralized printing program, which is one or a combination of the remaining amount of consumables to be used and the state of consumption of a printing paper mechanism. 21. A medium having recorded thereon a digital photographic image centralized printing program according to any one of claims 13 to 20, wherein said printer status output function is provided to one or a combination of said server and client. A print information storage function that stores one or a combination of the print status of the printer and the print management data of the digital photo image data that is waiting to be executed and the execution log of the printed digital photo image data. A medium for recording a digital photographic image centralized print program, which realizes a stored information output function of visually recognizing and outputting the stored information by an external computer connected via the bidirectional communication. 22. A medium recording a digital photographic image centralized printing program according to any one of claims 13 to 21, wherein one or a combination of the server and the client is connected via the two-way communication. A medium recording a digital photographic image centralized print program, which can be maintained by an external computer connected to the computer. 23. A medium on which a centralized printing program for digital photographic images according to any one of claims 13 to 22 is recorded, wherein the number of times of printing or the number of times of printing is performed on any or a combination of the server and the client. A recording medium for recording a digital photographic image centralized print program, which realizes a charge amount calculating function for calculating a charge amount for each customer based on an area. 24. A medium in which a digital photographic image centralized print program according to any one of claims 13 to 23 is recorded, wherein when the server completes the printing, the digital photographic image is printed. Outputting information indicating that printing is completed based on the print management data to the client that has output the image data,
A recording medium for recording a digital photographic image centralized printing program, wherein the printing completion notification function for causing the client to recognize the printing completion is realized. 25. A server for acquiring a plurality of digital photographic image data from a client connected so as to be capable of two-way communication and for centrally managing the printing of these digital photographic image data in the server. A printing method, wherein the server performs a digital photographic image acquisition step of acquiring digital photographic image data to be printed via the bidirectional communication, and prints the digital photographic image data via the bidirectional communication. A print management data acquisition step of acquiring print management data for management; and a print control step of printing the acquired digital photographic image data based on the print management data acquired by the print management data acquisition step. A centralized printing method for digital photographic images, characterized in that: 26. The centralized printing method for digital photographic images according to claim 25, wherein the print management data includes data for specifying an entity involved in the execution of the printing and data for specifying a print layout. And data for designating the priority of printing, data for controlling printing execution in chronological order, data for notifying of printing execution, and data for specifying devices involved in printing execution. Data for specifying a print job, data for specifying digital photographic image data for performing printing, data for specifying printing paper, and color profile data of digital photographic image data. Or a combined printing method for digital photographic images. 27. The centralized printing method for digital photographic images according to claim 25, wherein the client inputs digital photographic image data from an external image input device via two-way communication. A digital photographic image data input step; a print management data input step for receiving the input of the print management data; and a digital photographic image data input in the digital photographic image data input step are output via the two-way communication, and the printing is performed. A data output step of outputting the print management data received in the management data input step via the bidirectional communication. 28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the client has a digital photographic image data correcting step of correcting the digital photographic image data input in the digital photographic image data inputting step. Centralized printing method for digital photographic images. 29. The method according to claim 27, wherein the digital photograph image data input step, the print management data input step, and the digital photograph image data correction step are performed. A method for centrally printing digital photographic images, wherein any one or a combination is provided in a physically separate client. 30. The method for centrally printing digital photographic images according to any one of claims 25 to 29, wherein any one or a combination of the server and the client allows the user to read the contents of the print management data. A print management data output step for recognizable output, an instruction receiving step for receiving an instruction regarding execution of printing performed while the user visually recognizes the output in the print management data output step, and an instruction received in the instruction reception step. A print management step of performing any one of or a combination of selection of a print target to be executed, deletion of a print target, and change of a print execution order based on the print target. 31. The method for centrally printing digital photographic images according to any one of claims 25 to 30, wherein one of or a combination of the server and the client includes: A centralized printing method for digital photographic images, comprising a printer status output step of acquiring a status of a printer for printing data and outputting the status so that a user can recognize the status. 32. The method according to claim 25, wherein the status of the printer output in the printer status output step is the status of a consumable used by the printer. A method for centrally printing digital photographic images, wherein the method is any one or a combination of a remaining amount and a wear state of a mechanism section of a print sheet. 33. The method according to claim 25, wherein one or a combination of the server and the client is a printer acquired in the printer status output step. And a print information storage process for storing any one or a combination of the print management data of the digital photographic image data and the execution log of the printed digital photographic image data. A stored information output step of outputting information so that it can be visually recognized by an external computer connected via the two-way communication. 34. The method according to claim 25, wherein any one or a combination of the server and the client is connected via the bidirectional communication. A centralized printing method for digital photographic images, wherein maintenance can be performed by an external computer. 35. The method according to claim 25, wherein one or a combination of the server and the client is based on the number of times of printing or the area of printing. A method for centrally printing digital photographic images, comprising a charge calculating step of calculating a charge for each customer. 36. The centralized printing method of digital photographic images according to any one of claims 25 to 35, wherein the server outputs the printed digital photographic image data when the printing is completed. Output information indicating that printing has been completed to the client based on the print management data,
A method for centrally printing digital photographic images, comprising a print completion notifying step for causing the client to recognize the completion of printing.