JP2004069720A - Advertisement system and advertisement method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To print and output advertisement images together with user images in the form of a high advertisement effect. <P>SOLUTION: Printing position information 21d and printing condition information 21f etc., such as time zones, are managed together with a plurality of advertisement image data 21a by a management server 20 and the management server 20 provides equipment 10 for a user with the advertisement image data according to the printing conditions. A region 1a for printing the user data, such as digital camera images, and a plurality of regions 1b to 1f for printing the advertisement data are allocated to a print medium 1 based on the provided advertisement image data and position information in the equipment 10 for the user having a printing function 16 and the respective corresponding advertisement regions are printed with a plurality of the advertisement images together with with the user images. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a technology for performing advertisement using a device having a print function such as a printer device, a copy device, a facsimile device, and more particularly, by allocating and managing a plurality of areas for printing an advertisement image on a print medium. To print out a plurality of advertisement images together with a user image.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Document data created by a personal computer and image data captured by a digital camera are printed on a print medium such as paper by a printer device. Further, a copying apparatus prints image data such as a captured document on a print medium, and a facsimile apparatus prints facsimile data such as a received document on a print medium.
[0003]
User data such as document data and image data can be printed out with the above-described print function device installed at home, but printed using an external print function device installed at a convenience store or the like. You can also output.
When using an external print function device, the user must pay a fee according to the use.However, when the number of prints increases or when a color photographic image is printed, the use fee is also charged. It will be quite expensive. Such a situation is the same even when the print function device is used for lease including maintenance, and the user must pay a usage fee according to the number of prints, the print type, and the like.
[0004]
Here, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-238155 discloses that when a photographic image taken by a digital camera is printed out, an advertisement image is laid out in a predetermined format on a print of the photographic image and added. Thus, an invention capable of reducing the print output fee has been proposed.
However, according to the present invention, only one type of advertisement image laid out in a predetermined format is added and printed out, and the printed matter is not sufficiently used as an advertisement medium. Furthermore, considering the time zone of the advertisement and the target person are important factors for improving the advertisement effect. However, in the present invention, these are not considered at all.
[0005]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-15374 discloses a method in which an advertisement image is distributed to a facsimile apparatus and the advertisement is printed out. In addition, there has been proposed an invention in which the user is charged an amount obtained by subtracting the number of prints of the advertisement print from the number of prints output, and the amount of the number of prints of the advertisement print is covered by the advertisement fee to the advertiser.
However, in addition to the problem with the above invention, in the present invention, the user data and the advertisement data are printed and output on different papers, and the advertisement data is mixed with the user data paper and output. However, it was not possible to expect a high advertising effect as if the user discarded the advertisement without looking at it.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
At the time of printout of user image data and facsimile data by a digital camera, it is considered to reduce the printing fee by adding an advertisement, but the effective use of the printout as an advertising medium and the advertising effect for the user are considered. Had not been.
[0007]
In general, it is more effective for an advertisement to meet the needs and preferences of the viewer or to remain strongly in the viewer's impression, but since the viewer of the advertisement is unspecified, it is more than one advertisement at a time. It is considered that hitting the 高 く increases the probability that one of the advertisements is effective for the viewer on the spot and increases the advertisement effect. In addition, if the lifestyle and needs of the viewer of the advertisement can be predicted to some extent, it is an important factor to improve the advertising effect by placing an advertisement corresponding to the lifestyle and needs.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional circumstances, and has as its object to realize a highly effective advertisement using a printed matter as an advertisement medium.
Further objects of the present invention will be apparent in the following description.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention relates to an advertising system using a device having a printing function such as a printer device, a copying device, a facsimile device, or a multifunction device having these functions, wherein an area for printing user data and an advertising data are printed. When a plurality of areas are allocated and managed on a print medium and the input user data is printed out, a plurality of advertisement images are printed together with the user images in the corresponding advertisement areas.
That is, the position and size of a plurality of advertisements are printed and output on a single printed matter. Therefore, by this management, the type and form of the advertisement can be easily changed, and the advertisement effect can be enhanced.
Note that the advertisement fee may be charged for each of a plurality of areas where the advertisement image is printed, and a charge obtained by subtracting the advertisement fee may be collected from the user.
[0010]
Here, if an advertisement image to be printed is selected according to preset conditions according to time, the type of advertisement, and the like, a further advertisement effect can be obtained. For example, in a device installed in a convenience store, if an advertisement is selected according to a time zone from prepared advertisement images, an advertisement suitable for a user group that is frequently used in the time zone can be played. Further, in a device leased to a company, an advertisement suitable for the type of business of the company can be issued from the prepared advertisement images. Further, if the advertisement is selected according to the type of the advertisement itself, the advertisement can be selected so that the advertisements printed on one printed material do not belong to a competitive industry.
[0011]
When the present invention is implemented as an advertisement system, it may be configured in a stand-alone format in which advertisement data is stored in a memory, but a user device for inputting and printing out user data, and a management server for managing advertisements. Is preferably configured in the form of a network connected via a communication line so that advertisements by a large number of user devices can be managed collectively. Specifically, according to a preset condition, the management server provides the user device with the advertisement data to be printed in the advertisement area, so that the advertisement data suitable for the time zone or the type of the user can be updated. I do.
Further, the management server may be provided with a function of updating the advertisement data stored in the advertisement memory from the communication device of the advertiser via the communication line, and may update the advertisement data provided to the user device. Then, the management server can perform the advertising agency business, and it is possible to improve the advertising effect and reduce the burden on the user due to the increase in the advertising fee.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The present invention will be specifically described based on examples.
FIG. 1 shows an outline of a user device according to an example of the present invention. The user device 10 is a multifunction device having the functions of a printer device, a copier device, and a facsimile device. As a user data input unit, a scanner 11 for capturing a user document, user document data and a user image from a digital camera. And a communication device 13 for facsimile receiving user document data. It has a function of receiving advertisement data from an advertising agency server or an advertiser client PC (not shown) via a communication line, and stores the received plurality of advertisement image data in the memory 14. The user data and the plurality of pieces of advertisement image data input from are assigned to regions by the image combining function 15 to combine the images. Then, an image obtained by synthesizing the user image and the advertisement image is printed on a print medium by the printing device unit 16 and output.
[0013]
The printed matter printed and output in this manner is, for example, as shown in FIG. In the example shown in the figure, an area 1a for printing a user image (original image) and five advertisement areas 1b to 1f for printing an advertisement image are allocated to one print medium 1.
This figure shows an outline for explanation, and an image is also printed on the user image area 1a and the advertisement areas 1d to 1f, respectively. Further, in the example shown in the figure, two advertising areas 1b to 1f are formed vertically in the left horizontal part of the print medium 1 and three advertising areas are formed in the lower part. The number, size and layout of these advertising areas will be described later. It is managed by the management server.
[0014]
FIG. 3 shows the functional configuration of the user device 10 and the overall configuration of the system according to an example of the present invention.
The user device 10 is a multifunction device that performs a predetermined control process by executing a predetermined program by computer hardware, and has a control unit 19 that is a center of the control process.
In the figure, the input units 11 to 13 are collectively described as image input devices, and the printing device 16 is described as an image output device. Further, a scanner control unit 11a in the figure controls scanning by an image input device, and a print control unit 16a controls a printing process by an image output device.
[0015]
The memory 14 is formed with a memory area as an image memory 14a for holding input user data and a memory area as an advertisement image memory 14b for holding a plurality of advertisement image data. Used as a work area for The image synthesizing function 15 is configured such that the control unit 19 performs processing using the work area of the memory 14, and performs printing based on information added to each piece of advertisement data held in the advertisement image memory 14 b. Each area is allocated to the medium, and the image of the advertisement data is combined with the image of the user data.
In this example, as described later, a plurality of advertisement image memories 14b are formed, and entries including advertisement data and control data provided from the management server 20 are stored in each advertisement image memory 14b.
[0016]
In addition, the user device 10 has a network control unit 18 as a network communication unit, and receives advertisement data from the advertiser's PC 30 via the intranet NA and updates the advertisement data stored in the advertisement image memory 14b. Also, it is possible to receive advertisement data from the management server 20 operated by the advertisement agency via the Internet NB and update the advertisement data stored in the advertisement image memory 14b.
The advertiser network NC in the figure is a network composed of the advertiser's PC 30 as shown in FIG. 4, and transmits advertisement data for requesting an advertisement to the management server 20 as an advertisement agency via the Internet NB. Can be done.
[0017]
Here, the present invention is applied to a stand-alone type in which the user device 10 has a function of holding and allocating advertisement data and a function in which the stand-alone user device 10 directly receives and updates the advertisement data from the advertiser PC 30. Although it may be configured in a network format, the example described here is a network format in which the management server 20 manages an advertisement output from the user device 10 as an advertising agency.
[0018]
FIG. 4 shows the functional configuration of the management server 20 and the overall configuration of the system according to an example of the present invention.
The management server 20 is a device that performs a predetermined advertisement management process by executing a predetermined program on computer hardware in addition to functions such as a communication unit that transmits and receives advertisement data, a memory that stores the advertisement data, and the like. The main management process is to provide advertisement data to the user device 10 and charge an advertisement fee.
[0019]
In this example, the management server 20 manages the advertisement data as entries configured in the memory, and a plurality (n) of management entries 21 are formed, and necessary information of these entries 21 is stored in the user device 10. It is provided via the network and stored in the advertisement image memory 14b.
The advertisement image memory 14b of the memory 14 corresponds to each of the advertisement areas allocated to the print medium, and the number of the advertisement image memories 14a corresponds to the number of the advertisement areas to be set.
[0020]
The management entry 21 includes, in addition to the advertisement image data 21a, various items for allocating and printing the advertisement image data 21a to perform charge management. More specifically, a print medium counter 21b for recording the number of prints of each print medium size, such as A4 or B4, an advertisement update data 21c for managing the update history of advertisement data, and an advertisement image for the print medium are stored. Advertisement space position information 21d that specifies an area to be printed, color information 21e that specifies the print color of the advertisement image, print condition information 21f that specifies the type of business, time zone, and target user for printing the advertisement image, The billing information 21g for counting the advertisement fee corresponding to the printing is included.
[0021]
In accordance with the print condition information 21f, the advertisement image data 21a, a print medium-specific counter 21b for recording the number of prints of each print medium size such as A4 or B4, and an area for printing the advertisement image on the print medium are defined. The advertisement space position information 21d and the color information 21e that defines the print color of the advertisement image are transmitted from the management server 20 to the user device 10 via the network, and billing information corresponding to the provision of the advertisement to the user device 10 Based on 21g, the management server 20 charges the advertisement fee for the advertiser of the advertisement image.
Therefore, the advertisement fee can be deducted from the usage fee charged to the user. For example, in a copying machine installed in a convenience store, the usage fee may be set in advance by subtracting the amount corresponding to the advertisement fee.
[0022]
Further, the management server 20 receives a change of an advertisement or a new advertisement request from the advertiser PC 30 via the network NC, and performs a process according to the request.
To change the advertisement, the advertisement data changed by the advertiser and the associated print condition information 21f, advertisement space position information 21d, color information 21e, and the like are received, and the contents of the corresponding management entry 21 are updated based on the received information. . In order to contract a new advertisement, the advertisement data and the associated print condition information 21f, advertisement space position information 21d, color information 21e, and the like are received from the advertiser, and the management entry 21 is created based on the received information.
[0023]
As described above, the user device 10 holds a plurality of advertisement data and its printing conditions. When the user device 10 prints the user data, a plurality of advertisement images are printed on the print medium together with the user image. Printed. Basically, the control unit 19 allocates an advertisement area to a print medium according to the position information 21d based on the data stored in the advertisement image memory 14b, and prints the advertisement image 21a according to the color information 21e. The image is combined with the image and printed out from the image output device. It should be noted that the user image is subjected to magnification conversion, if necessary, and combined and printed in accordance with the user image area.
[0024]
Here, when a condition is specified in the print condition information 21f, the advertisement data is provided from the management server 20 to the user device 10 in accordance with the condition. It follows. When the time zone is specified, the advertisement image is selected only in the time zone, provided to the user device 10, and combined with the user image. Further, when the type of business of the user who uses the device is known in advance like a leased device, or when the user layer to be used is known in advance such as the device installed in a convenience store, such information is stored in the management server 20. By setting, the advertisement image according to the designation of the type of business or the target is selected in the print condition information 21f, provided to the user device 10, and combined with the user image.
[0025]
For example, if the management server 20 provides an advertisement of a daily lunch of the day to the user device 10 before noon by time zone management, a timely advertisement can be presented to the user using the device 10; Further, if the advertisement information of the industry is selectively provided to the device 10 leased to the user of the apparel industry by the industry management, an advertisement suitable for the user's needs can be presented. Furthermore, management based on a plurality of combined conditions can be performed. For example, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, the advertiser's request is to use color printing for the apparel business and the advertising content to be a newly developed functional fiber. If the condition information 21f and the color information 21e are set in the management entry 21 according to the condition, the advertisement data corresponding to the user device 10 corresponding to the condition or the designation is provided, and the user can meet the user in a timely manner. Advertising can be presented.
[0026]
Further, the management server 20 can determine each advertisement data based on the type of business information, and can prevent the advertisement data of the same type of business from being provided to the user device 10 at the same time. Exclusive control can be provided to prevent advertisements from being printed on the same print media.
Note that, depending on the setting of the advertisement space position information 21c, a plurality of advertisement spaces can be set as continuous areas, and a full-page advertisement and a back-side advertisement can also be set.
[0027]
Here, in the user device 10, the print control according to the print medium is performed by the print control unit 16a, so that the user image is printed out in such a manner that the advertisement image can be separated as shown in FIGS. Can be.
In the example shown in FIG. 5, an area 32 (in this example, a CD jacket size area) suitable for a standard print service is formed in advance on a paper 30 of a print medium with a perforation 31 that can be easily separated. The management server 20 manages the position so that an advertisement image such as the car 33 or the company name 34 is printed in a blank area excluding the area 32, and the print control unit 16a of the user device 10 provides the area 32 with a print service. Print the image of the CD jacket (user image). This allows the user to separate the advertising portion and store the CD jacket in the CD case.
[0028]
Further, in the example shown in FIG. 6, an area 42 slightly smaller than the no-sized advertisement portion is formed in advance on the paper 40 of the print medium by a perforation 41 or the like. The position management is performed so that an advertisement image such as 43 or company name 44 is printed, and the print control unit 16a of the user device 10 prints a user image having a size slightly larger than the area 42 at the position of the area 42. As a result, the user can separate the advertisement image portion from the print of the user image, and by this separation, can obtain a borderless print in consideration of the printing position error of the user image.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of advertisement images can be allocated and managed together with a user image and printed out, so that an effective advertisement can be implemented for the user.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a user device according to an example of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating area allocation of a printed matter according to an example of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating functions and a network configuration of a user device according to an example of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating functions of a management server according to an example of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a printed matter according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a printed matter according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1a: user image area, 1b to 1f: advertisement area,
10: User equipment, 11, 12, 13: Input equipment,
14b: advertisement image memory, 20: management server,

Claims (10)

An advertisement system using a device having a print function,
Input means for inputting user data to be printed out;
An ad memory that holds multiple ad data,
Print management means for allocating an area for printing user data and a plurality of areas for printing advertisement data to a print medium, and printing a plurality of advertisement images together with a user image in a corresponding advertisement area,
An advertising system comprising: The advertising system according to claim 1,
The advertisement system, wherein the device has a copy function, and the input unit is a unit for imaging user data to be printed out. In the advertising system according to claim 1 or 2,
An advertisement system, wherein the device has a facsimile function, and the input means is means for receiving user data to be printed out. The advertisement system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
An advertisement system, wherein the print management means charges an advertisement fee for a plurality of areas where an advertisement image is printed. In the advertising system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An advertisement system, wherein the print management means selects an advertisement image to be printed according to a preset condition. The advertising system according to claim 5,
The user data input means is incorporated in a user device having a printing means,
The advertisement memory and the print management means are incorporated in a management server connected to the user device via a communication line, and provide the advertisement data to be printed in the advertisement area from the management server to the user device,
Further, the advertisement system is characterized in that the management server updates the advertisement data provided to the user device according to a preset condition. In the advertising system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The user data input means is incorporated in a user device having a printing means,
The advertisement memory and the print management means are incorporated in a management server connected to the user device via a communication line, and provide the advertisement data to be printed in the advertisement area from the management server to the user device,
Further, the management server is connected to the communication device of the advertiser via a communication line and has a function of updating the advertisement data held in the advertisement memory, and updates the advertisement data provided to the user device. Advertising system. An advertising method using a device having a printing function,
An area for printing a user image and an area for printing a plurality of advertisement images are allocated and managed on a print medium, and the plurality of advertisement images are printed together with the user image in the corresponding advertisement areas. Advertising method. An advertising method using a device having a printing function,
An advertisement image to be allocated and managed on a print medium for an area for printing a user image and an area for printing a plurality of advertisement images, and to be printed according to preset conditions (time zone, business type, exclusive control). And printing a plurality of advertisement images together with the user image in each corresponding advertisement area. An advertising method using a device having a printing function,
A user device that prints out a user image is connected via a communication line to a management server that allocates and manages an area for printing the user image and an area for printing a plurality of advertisement images to a print medium. And
The advertisement data is provided from the management server to the user device, and a plurality of advertisement images are printed in the corresponding advertisement area together with the user image. Furthermore, the management server is updated from the advertiser's communication device via the communication line. An advertisement method, characterized by providing advertisement data for use.

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