JP2005275724A - Printing support system, printing support method, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To introduce a printer capable of suitably printing a document to a user, and to prevent information on the document from leaking from the printer. <P>SOLUTION: The printing support system 1 comprises an information management section 1 DB (database) storing attribute information indicative of performance and an installed position for each printer 2; a printing request receiving section 101 receiving document attribute information 71, indicative of the image quality of the document involving the printing of interest; a position information acquisition section 102 receiving position information 72 on terminal equipment 3 carried by the user; an output destination candidate selecting section 103 located close to the user and selecting one printer 2 suitable for printing the document, by comparing the attribute information on each of the printers 2 with the received document attribute information 71 and the received position information 72: an output destination candidate notifying section 104 notifying the terminal equipment 3 of a selection result; and a printing instructing section 107 for instructing the printer 2 to start the printing of the document, when the user reaches the installation position of the printer 2 specified by the user. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a system and method for printing on a printing apparatus shared on a network.

  In recent years, document contents (electronic data) can be easily obtained on the go with the spread of mobile terminal devices, speeding up of mobile phone lines and PHS lines, and enhancement of the Internet environment. Became.

  In addition, there is a printing device that can print (print out) a document to a facility such as a convenience store, a station, a rental office, an office service store, or a photo store via a removable recording medium such as a floppy disk or a memory card. It was gradually installed.

  In this way, it is expected that the number of users who obtain electronic data of a document on the go and print the document with a printing apparatus installed in a facility such as a convenience store nearby will increase in the future. Also, various types of printing devices are expected to be installed in the facility.

  However, even if such a printing apparatus is installed at various facilities, it is not possible to find a printing apparatus that can print a document to be printed according to conditions such as the quality desired by the user on the go. Have difficulty.

Therefore, it is conceivable to use a method for discriminating a printing device suitable for a document to be printed from a plurality of printing devices as described in Patent Documents 1 to 3.
JP 2001-265554 A JP 2002-132901 A JP 2003-15848 A

  However, in the conventional methods as described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, when a printing device that matches a condition desired by the user is selected, the user can immediately receive the printed matter of the document. Regardless of whether or not, the printing process is performed by the printing apparatus. Therefore, when the conventional method is applied to a printing apparatus installed in a facility such as a convenience store, a printed matter of a document may be seen or stolen by others, and important information may be leaked.

  In view of such a problem, the present invention introduces a nearby printing apparatus capable of suitably printing a document to be printed, and prevents leakage of document information from the printing apparatus. With the goal.

  The printing support system according to the present invention is a printing target from an attribute information storage unit that stores attribute information indicating the performance and installation location of the printing device for each printing device, and a terminal device carried by a user who desires printing. Image quality information receiving means for receiving image quality information indicating the image quality of the document, position information receiving means for receiving position information indicating the position of the terminal device, the attribute information of each printing apparatus, the received image quality information, and the The printing apparatus selection means for selecting one or a plurality of the printing apparatuses close to the user and suitable for printing the document by comparing the position information, and the selection result by the printing apparatus selection means Selection result notification means for notifying the terminal device and designation information indicating the printing device designated by the user as the print destination of the document is received from the terminal device. When the position indicated in the latest position information received by the constant information receiving means and the position information receiving means matches the installation location indicated in the attribute information of the printing device indicated in the designation information, And a print command means for instructing the printing apparatus to start a printing process based on print data of the document acquired from the terminal device.

  The print data is transmitted from the terminal device to the printing device without going through the printing support system. The printing support system controls the terminal device to transmit the print data at the following timing. For example, the terminal device is controlled to transmit the print data immediately after the designation information is transmitted from the terminal device. Alternatively, the distance between the position indicated by the latest position information of the terminal device received by the position information receiving means and the installation location indicated by the attribute information of the printing device according to the designation is within a predetermined value. When this happens, the terminal device is controlled to transmit the print data.

  In the present invention, “the user's position matches the installation location of the printing apparatus” does not mean that the latitudes and longitudes of the two match completely. It means that the difference between the two is so small that it can be recognized that “the user is at the installation location of the printing apparatus”.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to introduce a nearby printing apparatus capable of suitably printing a document to be printed to the user, and to prevent document information from leaking from the printing apparatus. According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to introduce a printing apparatus that suits the user's preference to the user.

  1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of the printing system 100, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the printing support system 1, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the printing support system 1 It is.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system 100 includes a printing support system 1, a printing device 2, a terminal device 3, and a communication line 4 according to the present invention. The printing support system 1, the printing device 2, and the terminal device 3 can be connected to each other via the communication line 4. As the communication line 4, the Internet, a public line (a fixed telephone line, a mobile phone line, a PHS line, etc.), a dedicated line, or the like is used.

  The printing apparatus 2 is a printer having a network function, and is installed in a convenience store, a shopping center, a station, a rental office, an office service store, a photo shop, or the like. As the printing apparatus 2, a copier or a multifunction machine having a communication function as will be described later is used. Hereinafter, a facility such as a convenience store in which the printing apparatus 2 is installed is referred to as a “service center”.

  The terminal device 3 is a mobile type terminal device having a function of connecting to the Internet and a GPS (Global Positioning System) function. As the terminal device 3, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a mobile phone terminal, a PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) terminal, or a notebook personal computer is used. Or you may use the terminal device of a car navigation system. The terminal device 3 is installed with a virtual printer driver for making a print request to the print support system 1 and transmitting document data to the output destination (print destination) printing device 2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the print support system 1 includes a CPU 1a, a RAM 1b, a ROM 1c, a magnetic storage device 1d, a communication interface 1e, and the like. The magnetic storage device 1d includes a print request receiving unit 101, a position information acquiring unit 102, an output destination candidate selecting unit 103, an output destination candidate notifying unit 104, an output destination designation receiving unit 105, a data transmission command as shown in FIG. A program and data for realizing functions such as the unit 106, the print command unit 107, the answer information receiving unit 108, and the information management unit 1DB are installed. These programs and data are loaded into the RAM 1b as necessary, and the programs are executed by the CPU 1a. A part or all of the functions in FIG. 3 may be realized only by hardware. As the print support system 1, a server device (server machine) is used. The print support system 1 may be configured so that each unit in FIG. 3 is distributed to a plurality of server machines.

  With such a configuration, the printing support system 1 performs processing for introducing a printing device 2 that is nearby to a user who is out. Hereinafter, processing contents of the print support system 1, the printing apparatus 2, the terminal apparatus 3, and the like when the user prints a document at a nearby service center will be described.

  4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the information management unit 1DB, FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the user database RC1, FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the output service database RC2, and FIG. 7 is an example of the printing apparatus database RC3. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the print history database RC4, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of classification of image quality classes, and FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the preferred device learning database RC5.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the information management unit 1DB in FIG. 3 stores databases such as a user database RC1, an output service database RC2, a printing apparatus database RC3, a printing history database RC4, a suitable apparatus learning database RC5, and a map information database RC6. And manage these databases.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the user database RC1 stores information such as the user ID of the user, the password, and the e-mail address of the contact. A user who has never used the print support system 1 asks the administrator of the print support system 1 to have his / her user ID and password issued in advance.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the output service database RC <b> 2 stores information regarding output services that can be provided by the printing system 100. “Output service” means a service for printing a document. In the present embodiment, as an output service, various printing (output) forms such as high-resolution printing using special paper, printing at a standard resolution, or printing on a film for OHP (Overhead Projector) or A style is available. The manufacturer of each printing apparatus can freely provide an output service and provide it to the user according to the performance of its printing apparatus. In the example of FIG. 6, it is shown that company J provides four types of output services and company K provides two types of output services.

  In FIG. 6, “output service ID” is identification information for identifying the output service. The “output service name” is a name for informing the user of the contents of the output service in an easy-to-understand manner, and can be freely given by the manufacturer.

  The “corresponding image quality” and “image size” respectively indicate the recommended image quality and the recommended size of an image such as a photograph or an illustration included in a document to be printed when printing is performed with the output service. “Paper type” indicates the type of paper used in the output service.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the printing apparatus database RC3 stores information related to the printing apparatus 2 installed in each service center.

  In FIG. 7, “printing device ID” is identification information for identifying the printing device 2. “Store location” indicates the coordinates (longitude and latitude) of the service center where the printing apparatus 2 is installed.

  The “output service ID” indicates an output service provided by the printing apparatus 2. In the example of FIG. 7, it can be seen that the printing device 2 of “AAA store” provides four types of output services. “Paper size” indicates a paper size that can be printed by the output service at the service center. Which output service and paper size are to be provided can be freely determined by the service center in accordance with the customer base and needs within the range of the performance of the printing apparatus 2. “Price” indicates the unit price when printing by the output service at the service center, and can be freely set by the service center.

  “Status” indicates the current status of the printing apparatus 2. For example, it indicates whether or not it is in operation, whether or not there is a trouble such as out of paper or a paper jam, or the number of pages of a document waiting for print processing (amount of unprocessed jobs). Status information is appropriately transmitted from each printing apparatus 2.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the print history database RC4 stores history information of printing (output) processing executed by the printing apparatus 2 in the printing system 100.

  In FIG. 8, “order number” is identification information issued for each printing process. The “user ID” and “terminal device type” indicate the user ID of the user who requested the printing and the type of the terminal device 3, respectively.

  “Image quality to be output” indicates the quality (image quality) of an image included in the document to be printed. “Image quality class” indicates a class (level, rank) of image quality of the image. This image quality class is defined by the operator of the printing support system 1 in advance as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, description will be made assuming that five classes of classes A to E are defined.

  The preferred device learning database RC5 is provided for each user who has used the service of the print support system 1, and stores information related to the user's favorite output service, as shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 10, “document condition” indicates a condition relating to a document that has been printed in the past. In the present embodiment, the document condition is expressed by combining two items of the image quality class of the document and the type (terminal device type) of the requesting terminal device 3.

  “Output service ID” indicates the output service ID of the output service used under the document conditions. For example, the preferred device learning database RC5 of FIG. 10 uses three types of output services under the document condition that the user whose user ID is “U0001” is “image quality class = class A, terminal device type = PDA”. It is shown that. The “preferability” indicates the degree of preference of the user for the output service.

  The preferred device learning database RC5 is updated every time the user performs printing with the printing device 2. Thereby, the suitable device learning database RC5 learns the user's preference for the printing style (printing condition). A method for updating the preferred device learning database RC5 will be described later.

  The map information database RC6 stores information on longitude and latitude of roads and buildings, map image data, and the like.

  11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the print setting screen HG1, FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of the output destination selection process, FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the selection result screen HG2, and FIG. 14 is a print start command process. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow, and FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a questionnaire screen HG3.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the user prepares in advance the data (file) of the document to be printed in the terminal device 3 he / she carries. The document data may be downloaded from, for example, a user company server or a web server on the Internet, or application software such as word processing software, spreadsheet software, or drawing software installed in the terminal device 3. It may be created, or may be prepared by photographing with a digital camera built in the terminal device 3 or an external digital camera.

  The user opens a document to be printed and inputs a print command to the terminal device 3. Then, the virtual printer driver is activated in the terminal device 3, and a print setting screen HG1 as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed. The user clicks the pull-down menu DM1 to display a list of output destinations (print destinations) that can be specified, and selects “service data center” from the list. The “service data center” means an organization (for example, ASP (Application Service Provider) or ISP (Internet Service Provider)) that manages the printing support system 1. When the print button BT1 is clicked, the terminal device 3 transmits a print request to the print support system 1.

  Then, in the print support system 1, the print request reception unit 101 in FIG. 3 requests the terminal device 3 to input a user ID and password. Then, if it can be confirmed that the correct user ID and password registered in the user database RC1 are input, a print request from the terminal device 3 is accepted. At this time, the terminal device 3 calls the document attribute information 71 indicating the paper size of the document to be printed and the format, compression ratio, and image size of the image included in the document, and the telephone assigned to the terminal device 3. Information indicating the number is acquired in advance.

  The position information acquisition unit 102 acquires position information 72 indicating the current location of the terminal device 3. In order to acquire the position information 72, an existing system may be used. For example, presence information (current position information 72) can be easily obtained by using “FLAIRINC (Flair Link)” of Fujitsu Limited. According to such a system, the mobile phone operator can be inquired about the location of the mobile phone terminal or the PHS terminal, and the location information 72 can be acquired. Moreover, the movement speed of the terminal device 3 (user) can be calculated | required by acquiring the several positional information 72 in a mutually different time. Alternatively, the position information 72 may be acquired directly from the terminal device 3.

  The output destination candidate selection unit 103 uses a procedure as shown in FIG. 12 to select several printing apparatuses 2 suitable for printing a document to be printed from among the printing apparatuses 2 in the service center near the user's current location. Select.

  First, a service center within a predetermined range from the current location of the user is determined as a search target (# 101 in FIG. 12). For example, based on the moving speed of the user, it is determined whether the user is stopped, walking, or traveling by car, and if it is stopped or walking, it is within a radius of 100 m from the current location. The service center is determined as a search target. If the vehicle is traveling by car, a service center within a radius of 2 km is determined as the search target.

  Alternatively, a service center within a range in which the user can move within a predetermined time (for example, within approximately 5 minutes) may be determined as a search target. The range in this case can be obtained by an existing system such as GIS (Geographical Information System) or VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) or a known method.

  The output service suitable for the user is determined according to the case as follows (# 102 to # 105). When the user uses the printing support system 1 for the first time (Yes in # 102), the image format, compression rate, and image size requirements shown in the document attribute information 71 acquired from the terminal device 3 of the user are set. A satisfying output service is found with reference to the output service database RC2 of FIG. Then, the output service is determined as an output service suitable for the user (# 103). Whether or not the print support system 1 is used for the first time is determined by referring to the print history database RC4 in FIG.

  If the user has used the print support system 1 in the past (No in # 102), first, the image quality class of the document to be printed based on the document attribute information 71 acquired from the terminal device 3 of the user And the type (terminal device type) of the terminal device 3 is discriminated (# 104). The image quality class is obtained by referring to the definition of FIG.

  Based on the user's preferred device learning database RC5, the user's favorite output service for printing under the current conditions (image quality class and terminal device type) is determined (# 105). At this time, priority is given to a thing with high "preferability".

  For example, it is determined that the preferred device learning database RC5 of the user has the contents as shown in FIG. 10, and the image quality class is “class A” and the terminal device type is “PDA” in step # 103. To do. In this case, first, the output service having the highest “preferability” and the output service ID “S-J01” is determined to be the preference of the user.

  It should be noted that an output service having a high preference level up to a predetermined rank may be determined as the user's preference. In this case, the number of output services may be determined according to the number of eaves of the search target service center obtained in step # 101. In other words, when there are few service centers around the user, the user's favorite output service may be discriminated more, and when there are many service centers, the user's favorite output service may be discriminated.

  Based on the printing apparatus database RC3 of FIG. 7, it is possible to provide the output service determined in step # 103 or # 105 from the printing apparatuses 2 installed in the service center obtained in step # 101, and the document. The printing apparatus 2 capable of outputting the paper size indicated in the attribute information 71 is selected (# 106).

  Further, only the printing apparatus 2 that can start printing immediately after the user arrives at the service center is selected from the selected printing apparatuses 2 (# 107). For example, the printing apparatus 2 in which necessary paper is empty, the printing apparatus 2 in which a trouble such as a paper jam has occurred, and the printing apparatus 2 in a closed service center are excluded. If documents waiting for printing are stored in the printing apparatus 2, the printing speed of the printing apparatus 2, the amount of documents waiting for printing, the time it takes for the user to arrive at the service center, or the terminal of the user Based on the communication speed of the apparatus 3 or the like, it is predicted whether or not the printing process requested by the user can be started within a predetermined time after the user arrives at the service center. If it is predicted that the printing apparatus 2 cannot be started, the printing apparatus 2 is excluded. As described above, a printing apparatus 2 suitable for the user is selected.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the output destination candidate notifying unit 104 includes the selection result information 74 indicating the printing device 2 and output service selected by the output destination candidate selecting unit 103 and the vicinity of the service center where the printing device 2 is installed. The map image data 75 is notified to the terminal device 3. Then, the terminal device 3 displays a selection result screen HG2 as shown in FIG.

  When the user wants to select the printing apparatus 2 again, the user clicks the button BT23 to display a search range designation screen (not shown), and designates the center of the search range and its size. Then, the output destination candidate selection unit 103 of the printing support system 1 redoes the selection of the printing apparatus 2 within the designated search range. If the user wants to change the document image quality (image compression rate, etc.) for printing, click the quality change button BT24 to display an image quality change screen (not shown) and specify the image quality. Then, the output destination candidate selection unit 103 selects the printing apparatus 2 suitable for the designated image quality. However, in this case, the terminal device 3 corrects document data 70, which will be described later, to a designated image quality, and then transmits it to the printing device 2.

  The user confirms the output service of the printing apparatus 2 and the location of the service center while viewing the selection result screen HG2, and clicks the send buttons BT21 and BT22 corresponding to the printing apparatus 2 that is desired to be the printing destination (output destination) of the document. Specify. If you want to prioritize the risk of being seen or stolen by others rather than getting a printed copy of the document quickly because the document is so important, before clicking the send buttons BT21, BT22 In addition, a check mark is put in the check box CX2.

  When the transmission buttons BT21 and BT22 are clicked, the terminal device 3 transmits output destination designation information 73 indicating the printing device 2 designated as the output destination to the printing support system 1.

  When receiving the output destination designation information 73 from the terminal device 3, the output destination designation receiving unit 105 in FIG. 3 issues an order number (reference) for identifying the current print order. The data transmission command unit 106 notifies the terminal device 3 of the order number and transmits data for printing the document to be printed (hereinafter referred to as “document data 70”). To

  The terminal device 3 then designates the document data 70 in association with the user ID of the user, the output service ID of the output service used for printing the document, and the order number issued for the document. To the printing apparatus 2 that has been used. When the check box CX2 in FIG. 13 has a check mark, information indicating that the document is an important document is also transmitted. This completes the document printing order.

  Further, the document data 70 is converted into page description language data corresponding to the printing apparatus 2 as necessary, and transmitted. For example, it is converted into PostScript data of Adobe Systems, which is currently used in most types of printing apparatuses, and transmitted.

  The print command unit 107 gives a print start command to the printing apparatus 2 in the procedure as shown in FIG. First, the position information acquisition unit 102 is made to acquire the latest position information 72 of the terminal device 3 of the user who has requested printing (# 201 in FIG. 14). The position indicated by the position information 72 is compared with the position of the service center (store position in FIG. 7) where the printing apparatus 2 designated by the user as the output destination is installed. It is monitored that the distance is within a predetermined distance (for example, several meters) (# 202).

  If the two match or the difference between them falls within a predetermined distance, it is determined that the user has arrived at the service center (Yes in # 203), and the printing apparatus 2 is instructed to start printing (# 204). At this time, the printing apparatus 2 is also notified of the order number issued for the document to be printed by the user.

  Steps # 201 to # 203 are repeated at predetermined time intervals (for example, every few seconds to several minutes) until the user arrives at the service center.

  Returning to FIG. 3, when receiving the order number notification from the print support system 1, the printing apparatus 2 prints the document by the output service designated by the user based on the document data 70 corresponding to the order number. At this time, in order to distinguish from the printed matter of other documents, a cover (separation page) on which the user ID and order number of the user are printed together with the document.

  The user receives a printed matter of the document in exchange for a printing fee from a clerk at the service center. When the clerk receives the payment, the clerk notifies the printing support system 1 that the settlement is completed by operating the printing apparatus 2 or the like.

  When the document is not an important document (that is, when the user does not check the check box CX2 in FIG. 13), after receiving the document data 70 of the document from the terminal device 3, the print command unit 107 is received. Printing may be started without waiting for a command from.

  In other words, when it is determined whether or not to start printing for all documents depending on whether or not the user exists in the vicinity of the printing apparatus, when a plurality of users who have requested printing arrive at the service center at one time, There is a risk of waiting for a long time to receive. Thus, by advancing the printing timing in accordance with the importance of the document as described above, the printing apparatus can be efficiently operated as a whole, and the time required for receiving the printed matter can be shortened. For example, a document that has a large amount of data but that can be viewed by others can be printed immediately. Thus, the user who has requested printing can receive the printed material as soon as it arrives at the service center, and other users who arrive at the service center after that user can also receive their printed materials immediately.

  After completion of the settlement, a questionnaire screen HG3 as shown in FIG. 15 is displayed on the terminal device 3 of the user who has requested (requested) printing. When the user is satisfied with the print quality, the user selects the check button CB31. When the user is unsatisfied, the user selects the check button CB32 and answers the questionnaire. Then, after answering, the transmission button BT3 is clicked.

  Based on the contents answered on the questionnaire screen HG3, the answer information receiving unit 108 performs a process of updating the user's preferred device learning database RC5 (see FIG. 10) as follows.

  If the answer is “satisfied”, the combination “record” corresponding to the image quality class of the document data 70 related to the current printing, the terminal device type of the requesting printing device 2, and the output service ID of the output service is provided. One point is added to the “preference”. On the other hand, if the answer is unsatisfactory, one point is subtracted. If there is no corresponding record, a new set of records is added, and one point is added to or subtracted from the “preferability”. In this way, the preferred device learning database RC5 learns the user's preference for the printing style.

  In the case of a user who uses the print support system 1 for the first time, when there is an answer to a questionnaire, the user's preferred device learning database RC5 may be generated, and a process of adding or subtracting points may be performed.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the overall processing flow of the printing system 100. Next, a flow of processing of each unit constituting the printing system 100 when a user prints a document on the go will be described with reference to a flowchart.

  For example, it is assumed that a user HM who is moving to a customer notices that he / she has left a printed document to be delivered to the customer at his company. Therefore, the user HM prepares the document data by accessing the company's computer and downloading it, or having a colleague send it by e-mail (# 1 in FIG. 16). Then, the printing support system 1 is requested to print the document (# 2).

  Then, the printing support system 1 selects the printing apparatus 2 that is near the current location of the user HM and can print the document well (# 3). The selection process is as described above with reference to FIG. By sending the selection result to the terminal device 3, the printing device 2 that is preferable as an output destination is recommended (# 4).

  The user HM designates the output destination printing apparatus 2 while viewing the selection result (see FIG. 13) (# 5). Then, the printing support system 1 issues an order number (reference) for the printing process of the document (# 6), and notifies this to the terminal device 3 of the user HM (# 7). At this time, control for establishing a session between the terminal device 3 and the printing device 2 is also performed.

  The terminal device 3 associates the document data 70 of the document with the notified order number, the user ID of the user HM, and the output service ID of the output service specified by the user HM, and the printing device 2 specified by the user HM. (# 8). The printing apparatus 2 spools the document data 70 and prepares for printing. Then, the terminal device 3 is notified that preparation has been completed.

  After the transmission, the session with the printing apparatus 2 is disconnected and connected to the printing support system 1 to notify that the transmission is successful. Even if the transmission fails, the session with the printing apparatus 2 is disconnected and the print support system 1 is notified of the fact. In this case, the subsequent processing is stopped.

  On the other hand, after issuing the order number, the printing support system 1 monitors the arrival of the user HM at the service center where the output destination printing apparatus 2 is installed (# 9). When the user HM arrives (Yes in # 9), the printing apparatus 2 is instructed to start the printing process related to the order number (# 10).

  When receiving an instruction from the printing support system 1, the printing apparatus 2 prints the document based on the document data 70 transmitted from the terminal device 3 of the user HM (# 11). The user HM receives this document by paying a printing fee. The printing apparatus 2 notifies the printing support system 1 that the printing is completed after the payment of the printing fee is completed (# 12). If printing fails, the print support system 1 is notified of this. In this case, the subsequent processing is stopped. Note that after printing, the document data 70 of the document is deleted.

  Then, the print support system 1 terminates a series of processes (transactions) for printing, for example, by charging the service center where the printing apparatus 2 is installed, etc. (# 14).

  In parallel with the process of step # 14, the printing support system 1 requests the user HM to answer a questionnaire regarding the current printing (# 13). Then, the preferred printing style of the user HM is learned by updating the preferred device learning database RC5 (see FIG. 10) of the user HM based on the answer result (# 15).

  Note that it may be determined whether or not to perform the monitoring process in step # 9 according to the importance of the document. If the monitoring process is not performed, the document is printed as soon as the document data 70 is received and spooled. For example, for a document in which the user does not check the check box CX2 in FIG. 13, printing is started immediately without performing the monitoring process.

  According to this embodiment, the user can easily know the printing apparatus 2 that can suitably print a document to be printed. Also, since important documents are printed after arriving at the service center where the printing apparatus 2 is installed, the confidentiality of information can be ensured.

  The printing apparatus 2 is selected according to user preferences. Therefore, the user can receive the same printing (output) service as that of the printing apparatus 2 when he / she normally uses it even in an area where he / she visits for the first time. In addition, since it is possible to select and print necessary documents on the go, it is not necessary to print them just in case before going out a document that is doubtful whether or not it is necessary. Therefore, useless printing can be eliminated and paper can be saved.

  The user's personal information can be centrally managed by the printing support system 1. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user's personal information from being dispersed and leaked.

  In this embodiment, the document is output by printing an image of the document on a sheet. However, the electronic data of the document may be written on a recording medium such as a CD-R or MO.

  In this case, a device having a drive corresponding to these recording media is installed in the service center. Also, an output service with a name such as “Photo CD burning service” is registered in the output service database RC2 (see FIG. 6), and a service center that can provide the output service is designated as the printing apparatus database RC3 (see FIG. 7). ). When the output service is designated by the user, the printing support system 1 introduces a service center near the current location of the user.

  According to such an output service, for example, a user having a mobile phone terminal with a built-in digital camera saves a part or all of the photos stored in the mobile phone terminal on a CD-R at a service center nearest to the destination. A photo CD can be created.

  In the present embodiment, the terminal device 3 transmits the document data 70 of the document to be output to the printing device 2 as soon as the output destination printing device 2 is determined. Good. For example, it may be transmitted when the distance between the user and the service center where the printing apparatus 2 is installed is within a predetermined value. Thereby, the time for storing the document data 70 in the printing apparatus 2 can be shortened, and the disk space of the printing apparatus 2 can be saved.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the suitable device learning database RC5 records (learns) what output service is favorably used under what image quality class and terminal device type conditions. However, learning may be performed based on other conditions. For example, the user's preference may be learned in consideration of conditions such as the image size, the number of printed sheets, the number of copies to be printed, the time zone or day of the week printed, or whether it is an important type. Alternatively, learning may be performed based on only one of the conditions.

  In this embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 12, in the case of the second and subsequent use, the output device printing device 2 is introduced (recommended) with reference to the preferred device learning database RC5. Up to this point, the output destination printing apparatus 2 may be introduced by the same method as that for the first use without referring to the preferred apparatus learning database RC5. Then, the preferred device learning database RC5 may be referred to after the number of uses increases and the reliability of the suitable device learning database RC5 becomes high. In addition to the printing apparatus 2 selected in step # 107, introduce the user to the printing apparatus 2 of the service center that is carrying out a campaign such as a discount or the printing apparatus 2 that has a new output service. Also good.

  The printing apparatus 2 may be provided with a lock-type output cassette (output tray), and the printed matter of the document may be discharged to the output cassette. In this case, the user pays a printing fee to a clerk at the service center and receives the key of the output cassette. Then, the lock of the output cassette is released with the key, and the printed matter is obtained. Alternatively, the lock may be released by inputting a password. In this case, the password may be transmitted to the user terminal device 3.

  If it is found that there are many jobs waiting to be printed after the document data 70 is transmitted to the printing apparatus 2, the other printing apparatus 2 is selected again, and the document data 70 is again transferred to the printing apparatus 2 newly designated by the user. You may make it transmit.

  In the present embodiment, the image quality class is defined based on the compression ratio of the JPEG format (see FIG. 9), but other image formats such as bitmap or PNG (Portable Network Graphics) are also used in the number of bits of the color map. An image quality class may be defined on the basis of this.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, a questionnaire regarding print quality was performed in a two-step evaluation. However, “very satisfied”, “satisfied”, “normal”, “somewhat dissatisfied”, and “very dissatisfied”. As shown in FIG.

  Moreover, you may make it update the suitable apparatus learning database RC5 of FIG. 10, without performing a questionnaire. In this case, the user's preference may be learned based on the usage frequency. That is, every time printing is performed, one point may be added to the document conditions at the time of printing and the appropriateness corresponding to the output service.

  For example, the printing fee may be collected as follows. When the printing apparatus 2 normally receives the document data 70 of the document to be printed from the terminal apparatus 3, the printing apparatus 2 notifies the printing support system 1 to that effect. The print support system 1 calculates the printing fee for the document, stores it in association with the user ID of the user and the order number of the document, and notifies the user.

  When the printing apparatus 2 receives a printing fee from the user after printing the document, the printing apparatus 2 notifies the printing support system 1 that the printing has been completed and that the printing fee has been received together with the order number of the document. Upon receiving these notifications, the printing support system 1 stores information that the printing fee corresponding to the order number has been paid.

  In this way, unprinted printing charges can be prevented by centrally managing whether or not each printing apparatus 2 has paid for printing charges by the printing support system 1.

  If the user does not arrive even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the document data 70 was spooled in the printing apparatus 2, the current printing process may be canceled.

  In addition, the configuration of the entire printing system 100, the printing support system 1, the printing apparatus 2, the terminal apparatus 3, or each unit, the processing content, the processing order, and the like can be appropriately changed in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.

The following additional notes are disclosed with respect to the embodiment described above.
(Appendix 1) Attribute information storage means for storing attribute information indicating the performance and installation location of the printing device for each printing device;
Image quality information receiving means for receiving image quality information indicating the image quality of a document to be printed from a terminal device carried by a user who desires printing;
Position information receiving means for receiving position information indicating the position of the terminal device;
By comparing the attribute information of each printing device with the received image quality information and the position information, one or more printing devices that are close to the user and suitable for printing the document are selected. Printing device selection means;
Selection result notifying means for notifying the terminal device of a selection result by the printing apparatus selecting means;
Designation information receiving means for receiving designation information indicating the printing apparatus designated by the user as a printing destination of the document from the terminal device;
When the position indicated by the latest position information received by the position information receiving means matches the installation location indicated by the attribute information of the printing apparatus indicated by the designation information, the printing apparatus is the terminal device. A print command means for instructing the printing apparatus to start a printing process based on the print data of the document acquired from the printing apparatus;
A printing support system comprising:
(Additional remark 2) It has a print data transmission command means which commands the terminal device to transmit the print data of the document to the printing device according to the designation.
The printing support system according to appendix 1.
(Supplementary Note 3) The print data transmission command means is installed in the position indicated by the latest position information of the terminal device received by the position information receiving means and the attribute information of the printing device according to the designation. Instructing to send the print data when the distance to the place is within a predetermined value,
The printing support system according to attachment 2.
(Supplementary Note 4) The attribute information includes status information indicating the status of the printing apparatus,
The printing device selection means performs selection by excluding the printing device having the status information indicating that a failure has occurred.
The printing support system according to any one of appendix 1 to appendix 3.
(Appendix 5)
The designation information receiving means receives importance information indicating importance of the document together with the designation information of the document,
The print command means, when the importance information of the document indicates that the document is not important, commands to start the printing process of the document regardless of the position indicated in the position information;
The printing support system according to any one of appendix 1 to appendix 4.
(Appendix 6) Attribute information storage means for storing attribute information indicating a printing style that can be realized by the printing device and an installation location of the printing device for each printing device;
Image quality information receiving means for receiving image quality information indicating the image quality of a document to be printed from a terminal device carried by a user who desires printing;
Position information receiving means for receiving position information indicating the position of the terminal device;
Preference style storage means for storing the user's favorite print style when printing a document of image quality belonging to the image quality class for each image quality class into which the image quality is classified;
A printing apparatus selection means for selecting the printing apparatus that can realize the user's favorite printing style of the image quality class to which the image quality indicated in the received image quality information belongs, and whose installation location is near the user;
Selection result notifying means for notifying the terminal device of a selection result by the printing apparatus selecting means;
Designation information receiving means for receiving designation information indicating the printing apparatus designated by the user as a printing destination of the document to be printed from the terminal device;
When the position indicated by the latest position information received by the position information receiving means matches the installation location indicated by the attribute information of the printing apparatus indicated by the designation information, the printing apparatus is the terminal device. A print command means for instructing the printing apparatus to start a printing process based on the print data of the document to be printed obtained from;
A printing support system comprising:
(Appendix 7) A printing support method for supporting a user who desires printing to print a document on the go,
Attribute information indicating the performance and installation location of the printing device is stored in the attribute information storage means for each printing device,
Receiving image quality information indicating the image quality of a document to be printed from a terminal device carried by the user;
Receiving position information indicating the position of the terminal device;
One or a plurality of printing apparatuses that are close to the user and suitable for printing the document to be printed by comparing the attribute information of each printing apparatus with the received image quality information and the position information A step of selecting
Notifying the terminal device of a selection result;
Receiving specification information indicating the printing device designated by the user as a printing destination of the document to be printed from the terminal device;
When the position indicated in the latest received position information matches the installation location indicated in the attribute information of the printing device indicated in the designation information, the printing target acquired by the printing device from the terminal device Instructing the printing apparatus to start a printing process based on the print data of the document;
A printing support method comprising:
(Supplementary note 8) A computer program used for a computer that provides support for a user who desires printing to print a document on the go,
Processing for accessing attribute information storage means for storing attribute information indicating the performance and installation location of the printing device for each printing device;
A process of receiving image quality information indicating the image quality of a document to be printed from a terminal device carried by the user;
Processing for receiving location information indicating the location of the terminal device;
One or a plurality of printing apparatuses that are close to the user and suitable for printing the document to be printed by comparing the attribute information of each printing apparatus with the received image quality information and the position information The process of selecting
A process of notifying the terminal device of a selection result;
A process of receiving designation information indicating the printing apparatus designated by the user as a printing destination of the document to be printed from the terminal apparatus;
When the position indicated in the latest received position information matches the installation location indicated in the attribute information of the printing device indicated in the designation information, the printing target acquired by the printing device from the terminal device A process for instructing the printing apparatus to start the printing process based on the print data of the document;
A computer program for causing a computer to execute.

  The present invention is suitably used to promote the use of the printing apparatus 2 installed in a facility such as a convenience store.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a printing system. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a printing support system. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a functional structure of a printing assistance system. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of an information management part. It is a figure which shows the example of a user database. It is a figure which shows the example of an output service database. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printing apparatus database. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a printing history database. It is a figure which shows the example of classification into an image quality class. It is a figure which shows the example of a suitable apparatus learning database. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print setting screen. FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the example of the flow of an output destination selection process. It is a figure which shows the example of a selection result screen. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of a print start command process. It is a figure which shows the example of a questionnaire screen. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the overall processing flow of the printing system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing support system 2 Printing apparatus 3 Terminal apparatus 71 Document attribute information (image quality information)
72 Position information 73 Output destination designation information 74 Selection result information 101 Print request reception unit (image quality information receiving means)
102 position information acquisition unit (position information receiving means)
103 Output destination candidate selection unit (printing device selection means)
104 Output destination candidate notification section (selection result notification means)
105 Output destination designation receiving part (designated information receiving means)
106 Data transmission command section (print data transmission command means)
107 Print command section (print command means)
RC2 output service database (attribute information storage means)
RC3 printing device database (attribute information storage means)
RC5 preferred device learning database (preference style storage means)

Claims (5)

Attribute information storage means for storing attribute information indicating the performance and installation location of the printing device for each printing device;
Image quality information receiving means for receiving image quality information indicating the image quality of a document to be printed from a terminal device carried by a user who desires printing;
Position information receiving means for receiving position information indicating the position of the terminal device;
By comparing the attribute information of each printing device with the received image quality information and the position information, one or more printing devices that are close to the user and suitable for printing the document are selected. Printing device selection means;
Selection result notifying means for notifying the terminal device of a selection result by the printing apparatus selecting means;
Designation information receiving means for receiving designation information indicating the printing apparatus designated by the user as a printing destination of the document from the terminal device;
When the position indicated by the latest position information received by the position information receiving means matches the installation location indicated by the attribute information of the printing apparatus indicated by the designation information, the printing apparatus is the terminal device. A print command means for instructing the printing apparatus to start a printing process based on the print data of the document acquired from the printing apparatus;
A printing support system comprising: The designation information receiving means receives importance information indicating importance of the document together with the designation information of the document,
The print command means, when the importance information of the document indicates that the document is not important, commands to start the printing process of the document regardless of the position indicated in the position information;
The printing support system according to claim 1. Attribute information storage means for storing, for each printing device, printing style that can be realized by the printing device and attribute information indicating the installation location of the printing device;
Image quality information receiving means for receiving image quality information indicating the image quality of a document to be printed from a terminal device carried by a user who desires printing;
Position information receiving means for receiving position information indicating the position of the terminal device;
Preference style storage means for storing the user's favorite print style when printing a document of image quality belonging to the image quality class for each image quality class into which the image quality is classified;
A printing apparatus selection means for selecting the printing apparatus that can realize the user's favorite printing style of the image quality class to which the image quality indicated in the received image quality information belongs, and whose installation location is near the user;
Selection result notifying means for notifying the terminal device of a selection result by the printing apparatus selecting means;
Designation information receiving means for receiving designation information indicating the printing apparatus designated by the user as a printing destination of the document to be printed from the terminal device;
When the position indicated by the latest position information received by the position information receiving means matches the installation location indicated by the attribute information of the printing apparatus indicated by the designation information, the printing apparatus is the terminal device. A print command means for instructing the printing apparatus to start a printing process based on the print data of the document to be printed obtained from;
A printing support system comprising: A printing support method for supporting a user who desires printing to print a document on the go,
Attribute information indicating the performance and installation location of the printing device is stored in the attribute information storage means for each printing device,
Receiving image quality information indicating the image quality of a document to be printed from a terminal device carried by the user;
Receiving position information indicating the position of the terminal device;
One or a plurality of printing apparatuses that are close to the user and suitable for printing the document to be printed by comparing the attribute information of each printing apparatus with the received image quality information and the position information A step of selecting
Notifying the terminal device of a selection result;
Receiving specification information indicating the printing device designated by the user as a printing destination of the document to be printed from the terminal device;
When the position indicated in the latest received position information matches the installation location indicated in the attribute information of the printing device indicated in the designation information, the printing target acquired by the printing device from the terminal device Instructing the printing apparatus to start a printing process based on the print data of the document;
A printing support method comprising: A computer program used in a computer that provides support for a user who desires printing to print a document on the go,
Processing for accessing attribute information storage means for storing attribute information indicating the performance and installation location of the printing device for each printing device;
A process of receiving image quality information indicating the image quality of a document to be printed from a terminal device carried by the user;
Processing for receiving location information indicating the location of the terminal device;
One or a plurality of printing apparatuses that are close to the user and suitable for printing the document to be printed by comparing the attribute information of each printing apparatus with the received image quality information and the position information The process of selecting
A process of notifying the terminal device of a selection result;
A process of receiving designation information indicating the printing apparatus designated by the user as a printing destination of the document to be printed from the terminal apparatus;
When the position indicated in the latest received position information matches the installation location indicated in the attribute information of the printing device indicated in the designation information, the printing target acquired by the printing device from the terminal device A process for instructing the printing apparatus to start the printing process based on the print data of the document;
A computer program for causing a computer to execute.